Four Square from the Start
by Stoner Guru Ron Slater
Summary: Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess all ‘hatch’ at the same time. They are found and adopted. Phillip and Diane Evans adopt Max and Isabel, and Hank Guerin adopts Michael and David and Eileen Harding NOT Nasedo adopt Tess. The relationship between the four is s
1. Discoveries

Four Square From The Start

Summary: Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess all 'hatch' at the same time. They are found and adopted. Phillip and Diane Evans adopt Max and Isabel, and Hank Guerin adopts Michael and David and Eileen Harding (NOT Nasedo) adopt Tess. The relationship between the four is strictly brother/sister. They are doing the whole hiding in plain sight thing and searching for answers, until a fateful day at the Crashdown.

A/N: I know that a lot of the dialogue from the first chapter is copied directly from the pilot, but it's just to re-establish the characters and to make Tess a legit player for the GOOD side.

Prologue

August 1989- Roswell, New Mexico

Max and Isabel were walking down the middle of Magee Road as the headlights of a car approached the pair. They turned around and looked at the car in puzzlement, having never seen one before. The pair of young aliens watched as Phillip and Diane Evans got out of the car and wrapped a blanket around each of them, ushering them toward the car. Isabel and Max looked to Michael and Tess, who were hiding in the shadows, pleading for them to come with their eyes, but the other two aliens backed off and disappeared deeper into the shadows. Max and Isabel then dejectedly allowed themselves to be placed in the Evans car and they drove off towards town.

Tess and Michael were later found by Christopher and Sarah Guerin and adopted as well a short time afterwards..

Chapter 1- Discoveries

Ten Years Later

Crashdown Café

Liz Parker walked up to the two tourists that were sitting at on of the central tables.

"Can I get you anything?" Liz asks politely.

"Uh, yeah. I'll take an order of Saturn rings and an Alien Blast." The woman replies.

"Can I get a Will Smith burger and a Blood of Alien smoothie." The man says afterwards and Liz writes down the order.

"So does your family come from Roswell?" the man asks as Liz puts away the order pad.

"Only four generations." Liz quips amicably.

"So do you have any stories about the crash?" The woman presses.

"I guess it would be alright to show you this." Liz says, pulling a photo graph of a fake alien out of her apron and handing it to the couple. "My grandmother took this at the crash site right before the government covered it up."

"Does anyone know about this photograph?" The woman asks.

"Well, I know, and now you know." Liz says, and the couple nods in awe. Maria walks by as the couple is staring at the picture. She throws Liz a playfully scolding glance and walks over to two men who are arguing over something.

"Can I get you a refill?" Maria asks politely.

"No, get out of here." One of the men snaps.

"Oookay, real nice talking to you." Maria mutters walking to the back. Liz follows her.

"You are bad girl. You just love playing with their heads, don't you?" Maria teases.

"Makes life interesting." Liz replies flippantly.

"Oh by the way, Max Evans is staring at you again." Maria announces, and Liz looks over just in time to see Max turn away from looking in her direction.

"Uh, right. Max Evans, and this? No way." Liz says, pointing at her face. "And even if it was true, I'm with Kyle. He's loyal and steady and… He appreciates me."

"You sound like you're describing a poodle." Maria gibes and Liz glares at her. Maria walks away to see if anyone needs a refill. She gets halfway to the front of the building when the two men that were arguing get up after one of them knocks all of the dishes and glasses off of the table and the other pulls a gun. Everyone in the café drops to the floor except for Liz as the two men struggle over the gun.

"Liz!" Maria screams as she drops to the floor.

Liz stands there shocked, and the gun goes off. She falls to the floor. The two men run out of the resturaunt and take off. Max gets up and starts toward where Liz is laying on the ground. Michael grabs his arm.

"What are you going to do?" Michael demands.

"Whatever has to be done." Max replies, pulling away and hurrying over to Liz. Michael holds back the tourists who are trying to find out what happened. Max goes up to Liz and rips her top shirt apart, revealing a bullet hole in her abdomen. He places his hand over her wound and places his other hand behind her head, lifting it up slightly. "Liz, you have to stay awake, you have to look at me." Max says, making the connection and healing her wound. He sees flashes of her life and then she is healed. She looks at him in confusion as he starts to stand up.

Police sirens can now be heard in the background.

Michael snaps his fingers repeatedly. "Keys!" He demands and Max tosses him his set, then turns back to Liz as Michael runs out. He grabs a glass ketchup bottle and smashes it on the edge of the counter. He pours it over Liz's leftover blood from being shot.

"You broke a bottle when you fell. Don't tell anyone, please." Max asks before fleeing. He passes the two tourists that Liz gave the photo to, and Maria on the way out. Liz stands, looking shell-shocked as Max runs out of the Crashdown, and jumps into the jeep that Michael is driving. The two of them take off.

Crashdown- A short time later

The front doors open and Liz's father Jeff Parker walks in. He walks over to Liz.

"Lizzie! Are you okay?" Jeff asks worriedly.

Liz nods. "Yeah dad, I'm fine. It was just really loud and then it was over." Liz tells him and he gives her a hug.

On the other end of the Crashdown, Maria is talking to Deputy Blackwood.

"One of the guys was like a muscular Beavis, and the other was like a beefy Butthead." Maria tells the deputy.

"I'm gonna need a better description then that, I'm assuming they weren't actually cartoon characters." Blackwood says.

"Uh, yeah. Hold on a second." Maria says, turning away and unscrewing the top of a small bottle. She sniffs it as the Sheriff walks into the building and gives her a look.

"Cypress oil. It, um, reduces stress." Maria says holding the bottle so that the sheriff can see. He nods and walks towards Liz.

"Are you okay?" The Sheriff asks.

"Yeah, thanks Sheriff. I'm just a little shaken up." Liz answers.

"Sheriff, the suspects ran out just after the incident occurred. A couple of outsiders. No apparent robbery, and no injuries other than the girl who fell. Just seems like an argument that got out of hand."

Sheriff Valenti looks over at the table where Max and Michael had been sitting and sees the empty Tabasco bottles.

"There were two boys sitting there, about her age and when the bullet went off, one of them went up to her and-" The female tourist says.

"Yeah, you know what, I really didn't recognize them so they must have been tourists." Liz cuts in.

"No, no. It sure looked like she knew them to me." The male tourist said confidently and Liz looked at Valenti cautiously.

Liz's Bedroom

Liz walks into her room and takes off her coat. She looks into the mirror and sees a silver handprint on her stomach.

"Oh my god…" Liz stammers.

Roswell High School

Liz is sitting at a desk in the science lab. Tess is sitting at a desk a few rows up. Max walks in and sits next to Liz.

"Mr. Evans, so nice of you to join us." The teacher says. "Okay, we've spent the last week talking about Genus, and phylum. Today we're going to get a little more specific, and talk about the difference between species. For today's experiment we'll be working in teams of two."

Max pulls a pencil out of his pocket and sticks it in his mouth.

"Okay, everyone on the right prepare a slide with the vegetable sampling and everyone on the left take a toothpick and get a sample from your cheek." The teacher says and both Max and Tess raise their hands. "What is it you two?"

"Can I get a hallway?" Max asks.

"High maintenance today aren't we Mr. Evans?" The teacher asks, handing Max the pass. He leaves.

Liz watches him go and picks up the pencil that he left behind and swabs it with a Q-tip and places it on the slide. She puts it under the slide and looks at it. The cells are completely different than hers. She looks up from the slide and sees Tess turned around in her chair, staring at her dead on, a grim expression on her face. Tess turns away after a moment and Liz gets a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Hallway

Liz comes out of the science classroom, looking around for Max. She spots him and runs over to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a classroom that is empty except for Kyle Valenti.

"Hey Liz. Max." Kyle greets, giving Liz a kiss. Max nods over at him returning the greeting.

"So did you get my message?" Kyle asks Liz, who nods after a moment.

"Uh, yeah. I was just a little-" Liz starts

"Shaken up." Kyle finishes for her.

"That's what it was." Liz agrees quickly.

"I know. My dad told me about the gun going off. Must have been scary."

"Yeah, it was just loud and then it was over." Liz tells Kyle.

"So what are you guys doing?" Kyle asks.

"Studying." Tess's voice rings out pleasantly. Kyle, Max and Liz look over at the petite blonde as she walks over. "Max, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?"

Tess's tone of voice was cheery, but there was a definant air of authority in it that was not to be questioned.

"Yeah." Max agrees and he and Tess walk over to the other end of the room as Kyle leaves and Liz is waiting for Max.

"Max. Why did Liz take a sample off your pencil in science?" Tess asks abruptly and continues without waiting for an answer. "Liz did get shot at the Crashdown didn't she?"

"Tess…." Max starts.

"Don't you dare tell her anything Max Evans. I will not have my existence jeopardized over this." Tess snaps, keeping her voice down just enough so that Liz can't hear what she's saying. "I'm gonna mindwarp her into forgetting about the incident."

"No, you're not Tess. This isn't a game, we can't just go around using our powers on humans like that." Max replies.

"You had no problem doing it yesterday." Tess snaps angrily.

"That was to save a life, not to destroy one." Max snaps back and Tess goes stiff. She begins to tremble in rage at Max's words.

"Is that what you think I do?" Tess manages to get out through clenched teeth. "Fine, Max. You made this mess, you get out of it." Tess says and storms out of the room, leaving a confused Liz looking after her. Max walks over to Liz.

"What was that all about?" Liz asks, innocently.

"Nothing." Max replies shortly."What did you want to talk about?" He asks.

"Ummm… This is gonna be a little ackward, but…." Liz trails off, lifting her shirt to show him the silver handprint emblazoned on her abdomen.

"Wow." Max says.

"Um… I-I scraped some cells from your pencil. This is really hard to say and I'm trying to keep from blacking out here. Um, the cells- they weren't normal. So, Max, what I'm going to suggest is that you and me go back to the science lab and I take a sample so that I can see what I'm thinking is wrong, you know. That I got the wrong cells…" Liz says, trailing off at the end and staring deep into Max's eyes.

Max is silent for a moment, weighing what Liz knows and how to keep Michael, Isabel and Tess safe.

"You didn't." Max says finally.

Liz rubs her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Okay, um. So help me out here Max. I mean, what are you?"

"Well…… I'm not from around here." Max answers.

"Where are you from?" Liz ask quietly and Max slowly raises his finger upwards. "Up north?"

Max points higher.

"You're not an- an alien, I mean. Are you?" Liz stammers.

"Well I prefer the term not of this Earth." Max says, somewhat jokingly. "Sorry, not a good time to joke. Yes, I am. Wow, it feels weird to actually say it."

Liz is obviously overwhelmed by the information and starts to walk away.

"Liz…." Max says, following her.

"Um… Max, you know, I have, I'm gonna be late for my US Government class, so I'm just going to-" Liz stops as Max cuts her off at the door.

"Liz, listen to me. You can't talk to anyone about this. Not your parents. Not Maria. No one. You don't understand what will happen if you do. Liz, please? Now my life is in your hands." Max says and lets Liz exit the room.

Cafeteria

Maria and Alex Whitman are sitting together at a table.

"Well it says right here that a shot was fired but no one was injured." Alex reads from the newspaper.

"Then where the heck is Liz? I mean, why is she avoiding me? Okay first of all, Liz is never late, right? She walks into homeroom today and goes and sits next to Pam Troy. She like, hates Pam Troy and goes around like openly admitting it…. And …. And…. Alex, are you even listening to me?" Maria complains.

"Yeah, yeah. Maria, I hear you. But this is just you being you, alright? Liz is fine, nothing happened, it's all right here in black and white." Alex tries to assure her.

"No. I know that something is definantly up." Maria insists.

Papa Hanley's Taco Stand

Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess are having lunch together at one of the stand's picnic tables.

"I can't believe this Max. You know, I finally feel like I have a quasi-normal existence here, and you ruin it all with one random act of lunacy." Isabel complains.

"I second that." Tess puts in, looking everywhere but at Max.

"How could you let my misguided brother do this?" Isabel asks Michael.

"Hey don't look at me, I'm not the one who thinks he's a superhero." Michael responds quickly.

"I said I was sorry." Max defends himself.

"You broke the rules Max, the rules we made. It was like a sacred pact." Tess says.

"You and Isabel use your powers all the time." Max points out.

"Yeah, recreationally." Isabel says. "The point is we have to contain this. We just have to figure out what to say to Miss Scientist."

Max hokes on the sip of soda he's just taken and the other three aliens look at him. Tess puts the pieces together first.

"Wonderful. He told her." Tess states, not a question.

"I didn't have a choice." Max says.

"Yes you did. I knew she was on to you and I offered to mindwarp her into forgetting, but you wouldn't let me do it." Tess reminds him angrily.

"It's going to be okay." Max says calmly.

"Don't you realize that everything has changed?" Isabel asks.

"No it hasn't." Max insists.

"Max, she's right. We're screwed. It's time to leave Roswell." Michael says, getting up. The other three exchange a look and follow him.

"Michael, we can't just up and leave." Tess reasons.

"Yeah we can. We've always known that this day would come. We said that when it did we'd be prepared." Michael reminds.

"And where are we gonna go?" Isabel asks. "You know Roswell's home."

"Roswell isn't home. It's not even in our solar system." Michael replies flippantly.

"It's the closest thing we have to one right now." Tess says.

Michael is silent for a moment. "For the three of you, maybe. It was you guys that the Evans and the Hardings found on the road. My foster dad just keeps me around for the monthly check."

"This is gonna be okay. We should just go back to school, lay low and act normal." Max says.

"Act normal?" Isabel asks. "That's your great plan?"

"Yeah Max, don't you realize that it's only a matter of time before they find out about us and turn us in to some government agency where they're gonna test us, and prod us, and oh yeah, exterminate us." Tess says darkly as the four aliens get into Max's jeep and drive away.

School Bathroom

Liz walks into the bathroom and splashes water on her face. Looking up, she sees Maria walk out of one of the stalls.

"Hey." Liz greets quietly.

"So I called like, thirty-seven times." Maria starts.

"I know, I'm sorry." Liz apologizes.

"Liz, what happened?" Maria questions.

"What are you talking about Maria? You were there, you saw what happened." Liz claims.

"Did I, cause um… This isn't ketchup." Maria says, holding up Liz's order pad. "This looks a lot like blood to me. What did Max do to you"

Liz doesn't answer her. She just washes her hands and walks out of the bathroom, leaving a confused Maria behind.

Max's Jeep

Max is driving, with Michael riding shotgun, and Issy and Tess riding in the back. Isabel is holding up a cd in her hand in between her and Tess' head and they are listening to it.

"Isabel, would you please cut that out?" Max asks sharply.

"Yeah like listening to a cd is the problem." Isabel snaps.

"I couldn't let her die alright." Max says.

Behind Max's jeep the flashing lights of a police car go on and Isabel and Tess turn around to look.

"Oh my god, is he pulling us over?" Tess asks.

"He does it all the time to kids. Just stay calm." Max tells them.

Max pulls over and the cop car pulls up behind him. The officer gets out of the car and it's Sheriff Valenti. Valenti walks over to where Max is parked and looks at each of the four aliens in turn, he looks at Max last.

"Licence and registration please." Valenti requests and Max pulls out his licence and takes the registration out of the glove box.

"Of course, officer." Max complies, handing the requested items over. Valenti looks at them, then hands them back to him.

"Thank you Mr. Evans. We had a little trouble at the Crashdown Café yesterday. You kids be careful out there." Valenti advises.

"Yes sir." Max nods. He moves his foot towards the gas pedal and accidentally knocks a bottle of Tabasco. Valenti sees it.

"Watch your speed. Arrive alive." Valenti says, giving the four of them a final look before heading back to his car.

Max waits until Valenti passes him, then starts up the car and the four of them drive off towards town.

Outside the Parker apartment

Liz and Kyle walk up to the front door of Liz's house, hand in hand. Liz turns to Kyle when they reach the door.

"Well, goodnight." Liz says.

"Oh right, right. Listen Liz, you've, you've been somewhere else all night." Kyle says.

"I know, I'm sorry." Liz apologizes. "Kyle, do you ever wonder if…"

"Do I ever wonder what?" Kyle asks.

"When you see me, do you… do you feel things?" Liz answers.

"Yes, of course I feel things. Like what?" Kyle questions.

"Nevermind, I don't know what I was talking about. I'm just gonna go get some sleep." Liz says, reaching up to turn off a light. Kyle sees the handprint.

"Liz?" Kyle asks, pointing it out and Liz quickly pulls down her shirt to cover it.

"Goodnight Kyle." Liz says shortly.

"Goodnight Liz." Kyle says and walks off.

Classroom

Liz is in the band room again, looking for her bag. Alex walks in, looking for her.

"Hey." Alex greets.

"Oh hey Alex. Have you seen my bookbag anywhere?" Liz asks.

"No, I haven't. Can I talk to you for a second?" Alex says.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Well, I'm your friend and I'm Maria's friend too. So if you lie to Maria, it's sort of like lying to me." Alex explains.

"Alex, what did Maria tell you?"

"Well, frankly it's vague. I mean, everything needs to be put through the Maria filter. But she said something about finding blood on your order pad. Liz, what's going on?"

"Alex, Maria is a total drama queen. Nothings going on. I'm fine."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. So you're ok."

"I'm okay." Liz assures.

"And what ever happened.. is over now."

"It's totally over."

"Alright." Alex says and goes to leave. The door opens and the school principal and Deputy Blackwood walk in.

"There she is." The principal says. Liz and Alex look at him.

"Ms. Parker, the Sheriff needs to ask you some questions." Blackwood informs her.

Gym- Later that Day

Max is wrestling another student when Liz walks in and looks at him. He looks over concerned. He gets up and excuses himself from his wrestling partner, then follows Liz out of the gym and to an empty classroom. Liz tosses her bag onto a desk.

"I need to know the truth Max. I need to know, everything. Or I'll- I'm just gonna go to Valenti and tell him everything I know." Liz says quickly.

"Okay." Max concedes.

"Okay. Okay. Alright. Where did you come from?" Liz asks.

"I don't know. When the ship crashed I wasn't born yet." Max answers.

"So there was a crash?"

"All I know is that it wasn't a weather balloon that went down that night."

"So the ship crashed in 1947, you're sixteen."

"We were in some kind of incubation pods."

"We?" Liz questions.

"Ah…" Max starts, realizing his slip. "Michael, Isabel and Tess are also…"

"Oh. Well that answers that question." Liz says. "Um… What powers do you have?"

"We can connect with people, as you know. We can manipulate molecular structures."

"What does that mean?"

Max moves over to a clay statue of some guy with a long beard and moves his hand down over it, changing it to a flat rounded mass of clay. He moves it back up and it returns to normal.

"That's how I was able to heal you." Max says.

"Who else knows about this?"

"We don't tell anyone." Max says. "We sorta think our lives depend on it."

"So when you healed me, you risked all this getting out, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It was you."

Liz smiles for a moment, then frowns. "Um Max, Valenti showed me a picture of a corpse, a murder victim, with the same silver handprint on his chest. The photograph was marked 1959." Liz tells him.

"That's impossible." Max says.

"Kyle say the handprint on my stomach and Valenti found my bookbag with the bullethole in it. He just asked me if you were in the Crashdown the day of the shooting. Max, he suspects you."

"I have to go." Max says and leaves the room in a hurry. Liz follows but loses him in the crowd of people.

Evan's household

Isabel and Tess are in Isabel's room, putting on their costumes for the Crash Festival. Max opens the door and the two of them look at him.

"Forget the festival. It's time to leave."

Jervis Park

Michael comes running out and hops in the back of the jeep that Max, Isabel and Tess are already waiting in.

"Where's your stuff?" Tess asks curiously.

"I'm wearing it." Michael replies stiffly and Max puts his foot on the gas and drives off.

Liz's bedroom

Liz is sitting on her bed, writing something on a notebook, when Maria bursts in.

"All right. Before I go to this idiotic Crash Festival, I want to know everything. Or I'm gonna go to Valenti and tell him everything I know."

"What do you know?" Liz asks with a sigh.

"Well I know that Max Evans was in the Crashdown that day and that he went up to you when you were shot and did something to you. And I know that the only person I thought I could completely trust is lying to me."

"You have to promise that you are not going to freak out."

"Liz, this is me." Maria says

A few moments later, Maria runs out the front door of the Parker apartment, shrieking. Liz runs after her.

"Mariaaaa!"

Max's Jeep

Michael is leaning forward in between the gap of the seats.

"So what we're seeing with this photograph is that there's more of us?" Michael asks.

"One more. At least there was in 1959." Max replies.

"So then there's hope. I mean if we can find him he can tell us where we came from and why we're here."

"Michael calm down. We have one potential relative forty years ago, all we know about him is that he's a potential killer." Isabel snaps.

"But Michael's right, he could help us find out who we are." Tess says.

"We'll figure it out later." Max says.

Maria's car

Maria is driving and Liz is in the passenger seat.

"Liz what happened to you? You were on this whole valedictorian path. You were on your way to be like, this world renowned scientist and I was gonna be your waky friend. I can't be a wacky friend to some one who's already wacky. Ity would be like redundant." Maria stammers.

"Maria, you're babbling." Liz says.

"I think I've earned the right to babble, all right. Just deal with it." Maria snaps.

Liz looks out the front windshield and sees Max and the others drive by, heading in the opposite direction.

"Oh my god Maria! That was them! Cut a U-ie!"

"Cut a U-ie? Liz we're in a jetta!"

Liz grabs the wheel and jerks it so that the jetta spins around and careens over the concrete and down the other direction.

"Oh my god, you're a crazy person!" Maria shrieks.

"Just follow them!" Liz exclaims.

Max's Jeep

Max sees Valenti patrolling and drives his car into an alleyway and Maria follows, blocking them in.

"Wonderful." Tess mutters as Liz and Maria get out of the jetta. Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess get out of the jeep as well. The two groups approach one another.

"What are they doing here… No please don't tell me there's four." Maria says quietly to Liz.

"Well……" Liz trails off.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Maria mutters, as the two groups reach eachother.

"Maria knows." Liz says.

"Unbelievable." Michael mutters and Tess runs a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Look, I promise I won't tell anyone." Maria says and Michael walks toward her. Maria steps behind Liz as if it would protect her.

"Move your car." Michael demands.

"I don't think that you should try and leave. It's just gonna show people that you're guilty." Liz says.

"Guilty of what? Saving your life?" Tess questions.

"Look, I think I have an idea here. If we can all just work together here maybe we can throw Valenti off." Liz says.

"We're not together. Our lives are at stake, not yours. Now move the car." Michael snaps.

"Michael, this can't last forever, this secret. And I don't want it to." Max says.

"Look, I can't change what happened. But if you run, Valenti's gonna know it's you. You'd be proving it for him." Liz protests.

"She's right." Max agrees.

"I should have known you'd side with her." Isabel says sharply.

"I'm not on anyone's side here." Max argues.

"Yeah, well. You need to get on a side Max, cause we're running out of time." Tess tells him.

Max turns to Liz. "You need to move the car. I'm turning myself in to Valenti." Max says.

"Max we said we were leaving." Michael argues.

"I can't leave without you." Isabel says.

Tess turns to Liz. "What's your plan?"

Valenti's House

Liz, now dressed in skintight leather, walks up and knocks on the door. Kyle answers after a moment and looks at her.

"I waited for you for an hour and a half." Kyle complains.

"Kyle, I know I've been acting like a real jerk and I'm sorry." Liz says giving Kyle a look of cute innocence.

Crash Festival

Isabel, Maria and Tess are walking together through the crowds, and they pass Alex who is wearing a mask.

"Hey Alex." Isabel says as they walk by. Alex stops, pulls off his mask and follows the trio.

"Isabel, hey. Maria.. Tess."

"Hey." Tess and Maria say at the same time.

"Uh, nice cones." Alex says, and Isabel grins as the three of them walk on.

Tess breaks away from the group and walks over to one of the Sheriff's deputies to distract him so that Isabel and Maria can do their part.

Valenti's House

Kyle and Liz are standing out in front of the house.

"Look, we don't even need to go to the Crash." Kyle says.

Kyle, it's okay. I am going to meet you in front of the podium in half an hour, okay." Lliz tells him and he nods. Liz walks off as Kyle walks back into the house. Liz walks behind a row of bushes and calls Max on her cell phone. She waits for him to pick up.

"We have half an hour." Liz says over the phone.

Max's Jeep

"Got it." Max says and hangs up. He looks at Michael.

"It's not going to work." Michael predicts as the two of them drive down the road.

Festival

Deputy Blackwood is standing in the crowd. Tess is standing nearby, watching him but he doesn't see her. Valenti walks over. He doesn't notice Tess either.

"Where is he?" Valenti asks.

"There." Blackwood answer, pointing Max out. "What did this kid do Jim?"

"I'll take it from here Owen." Valenti says and starts walking toward Max.

Festival Parking Lot

Isabel and Maria are near Maria's jetta. Maria is rolling around on the ground, getting dirt all over her costume.

"Come on, roll." Isabel says harshly.

"I'm rolling." Maria replies sharply.

"Alright, that's better." Isabel says after a few more moments. "Keys?"

Maria looks at Isabel for a moment. "Okay, I know that my mom's car doesn't look like much, but not destroying it is the key to mine and her relationship." Maria says as she hands over the keys.

"Whatever." Isabel replies flippantly and takes the keys.

Max walks up to a trash can and drops the remains of his corndog into it. Valenti walks into the small alley and looks at him.

"I have some questions for you." Valenti says.

"What kind of questions?" Max asks.

"Were you at the Crashdown the day of the shooting?" Valenti questions.

"Yes." Max answers after a moment.

"What did you do to Liz Parker?"

"I didn't do anything to her." Max tells him.

"I don't believe that." Valenti says and handcuffs Max.

"Aren't you going to read me my rights?"

"Do you have any?" Valenti asks.

Elsewhere, Liz bumps into the two tourists as she's walking through the crowd. Isabel stages hitting Maria with the jetta and runs off.

"Maria!" Liz yells running over. Valenti, Blackwood, Max, Alex and the two tourists run over as well. Michael, dressed in a Star Wars costume reaches Maria first and places a hand on her chest. Alex runs up to them.

"Hey! What's going on?" Alex demands and Michael knocks him over as he runs off. Valenti, Liz, Max and the others reach Maria.

"Are you okay?" Valenti asks Maria, who nods. Valenti sees the silver handprint on her chest.

"Yeah, I think so." Maria answers slowly.

"There he goes Sheriff!" Blackwood exclaims, pointing out Michael. Valenti pushes Max toward his deputy.

"Watch the kid." Valenti says and gives chase. A few moments later, he spots someone in the crowd in front of the podium, wearing the same costume. He runs up and grabs the person by the shoulder. The person turns around and pulls off the mask- it's Kyle.

"Dad, hey. You scared the hell out of me. Have you seen Liz around? She was supposed to meet me here like fifteen minutes ago." Kyle asks.

Jim shakes his head. "No."

"Mmmmkay." Kyle nods and looks away.

Alleyway

Valenti pushes Max into the side of a trailer.

"You think you're a real smart guy don't you?" Valenti says harshly.

"I don't know what you're talking about Sheriff." Max insists.

"Don't play games with me, Mr. Evans. This is paint." Valenti says, holding up his hand so that Max can see. "You went up to Liz Parker in that café and you did something to her, and I need to know what it was."

"I had a hamburger, when the gun went off I ran away. Did I break the law? Sheriff are you arresting me?" Max questions quickly.

"No. Your parents would have you out in an hour. Let me tell you something, Max, I am going to find out the truth. You can count on it. You're a real smart guy Max, well so am I." Valenti says, uncuffing Max and walking away.

Isabel, Michael and Tess are standing in front of where Jonathan Frakes is counting down. Max walks up.

"Is everybody ready! 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, Blastoff! Yahh!" Frakes yells as the model alien spaceship is released from the tree and crashes down into the desert nearby, sending a half dozen small alien figures flying out of the craft. They land on the dirt and burn. Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess watch sullenly as the rubber aliens burn. Everyone one around them is laughing and cheering. Max looks away and sees Liz. He goes over to talk to her.

"Hey." Max greets.

"Hey." Liz replies, and Max reaches a hand out to her head and tucks a few strands of hair behind her head.

"You had a…" Max starts.

"A hair thing, yeah." Liz finishes.

"Sure. Liz, it's not safe. For you and me to… it's not safe."

"I don't care." Liz says

"Liz, I really wish that this could be something, you know, more. But it can't. We're just…"

"Different."

"Yeah." Max says. "I'll see you in school."

Max starts to walk away.

"Max?" Liz calls out and he turns back. "I never got a chance to thank you, for saving my life."

"Thank You." Max say slowly. Liz smiles and watches as Max turns and walks away.

TO BE CONTINUED……


	2. Enter Topolski

Four Square from the Start

Chapter 2

Quote of the Day:

"At the airport they tell you to get on the plane, get on the plane. I say fuck you I'm getting IN the plane!"

George Carlin

A/N: In response to a question I got in a private message, I haven't decided on pairings so we'll see. Also, Tess is nowhere near as powerful as she was on the show, at least not yet. This coming as a result of growing up without Nasedo. On the plus side, she isn't obsessed with Max and destiny and will not be betray the gang or kill Alex.

'It's September 27th. I'm Liz Parker and I will never look at the stars in the sky the same way again. What did Max Evans mean when he said that he would see me in school? Was it the kind of thing where he won't be able to breathe until we meet again or was it just something someone says to, like, fill space? And what is he thinking right now? Is he also obsessed, tortured, going through one sleepless night to the next, wondering what's going to happen between us?'

Max's Room

Max is sprawled out on his bed, sleeping peacefully. He doesn't seem to be tortured or obsessed over the thought of what is going to happen between him and Liz as he snores.

Tess's Room

Tess is in her room, holding a shirt in her left hand. She looks at it for a few moments and then waves her free hand over it and it goes from being red to a reddish-golden. She looks at it with a satisfied smile.

"There, that looks better." Tess says smoothly. She doesn't see the person hiding in the tree outside her house, watching her.

West Roswell High School- The Next Day

Max, Isabel and Tess walk into the school, and are immediately spotted by Liz who hurries over to them. She looks worried.

"What's wrong Liz?" Max asks, slightly concerned.

"It's Alex. He's been asking me and Maria a lot of questions since Maria and Isabel staged the accident at the crash festival. I think he might know about you." Liz says.

"That's impossible. He wouldn't know unless someone told him directly." Tess says.

"How much do you think he knows?" Isabel asks.

"Before Maria knew what was up with you guys, she told Alex that she found blood on my order pad, and he was there when Valenti sent his deputy to bring me in so that he could ask me questions about the shooting and Max." Liz answers sullenly. "We should just tell him the truth."

"Absolutely not!" Tess objects, shaking her head. "We've already broken the rules enough this month."

"Tess is right. We can't bring anyone else in unless it's absolutely necessary." Max agrees.

"Okay…." Liz says, and walks off. Max watches her go and heads off the other way. Tess and Isabel look at the two of them, then at eachother.

"Ten bucks says they hook up by January." Tess bets and Isabel laughs.

"Yeah, I'll take that bet." Isabel answers with a nod, and the two of them head off for history class.

Roswell Police Station

Valenti walks in and over to the front desk, spotting an African-American man in an expensive suit sitting on a chair on the other end of the room. Jim gives a small smile when the man nods over to him in greeting. Jim turns to the deputy standing behind the counter.

"What is he doing?" Valenti asks.

"Um, it would appear that he's sitting, Sheriff." The deputy replies dully.

"I know that, who is he and why is he here?"

"Oh. He's agent Rolfe from the FBI. He says he's here on assignment and that we should just go about business as usual."

"And you just let him?" Valenti asks incredulously.

The deputy looks away in embarrassment. Valenti shakes his head and walks over to the deputy.

"Morning." Valenti greets. "May I ask what you're doing sitting in my station house?"

"I was told to stay here until another relieves me from my duty." The agent answers.

"May I see some identification?" Valenti requests, and the agent nods. He pulls out his wallet and shows Valenti his id.

"You should all just go about business as usual." The agent says.

"Yeah, I heard. Listen the problem is that it's difficult to go about business as usual with an FBI agennt sitting smack-dab in the middle of my station." Valenti says. "The FBI has no juridiction in Roswell, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Downtown Roswell

Michael is standing on the sidewalk across the street from the Roswell Police Department. He is looking at the building with a pair of binoculars. He's so wrapped up in his work, he doesn't notice Kyle walk up to him.

"Guerin, What the hell are you doing?" Kyle asks, causing Michael to drop the binoculars in surprise.

"Nothing." Michael covers quickly, but Kyle isn't convinced.

"Right. You're just standing on a street corner spying on the police station for no reason, please." Kyle says mockingly. "Get out of here or I'll report you to my father."

Michael glares at Kyle, but picks up the binoculars off the ground, and walks off down the street. Kyle watches him go, then turns and heads over to the station. Kyle passes the agent who Valenti was talking to earlier as he leaves the building, folding chair in hand.

Roswell High Cafeteria

Tess and Isabel are sitting at a table, their lunch spread out in front of them.

"So what's your take on Liz and Maria knowing about us?" Tess asks.

"I was pissed at first, but now it's actually kind of comforting to have someone to confide in." Isabel says.

"Uhh Humph." Tess snorts, pretending to be offended.

"I mean someone who can make me think that I was Katherine Heigl by turning my mind inside out on a whim." Isabel corrects, and Tess laughs.

"I have no regrets on that, it was outright hysterical." Tess giggles for a moment, then sobers. "Oh great, here comes little boy blue."

Isabel looks over to see Alex walking towards them. He reaches their table and sits down.

"I want to know exactly what happened with Maria at the Crash Festival the other day, and I know that the two of you are involved in it somehow so I figured I'd ask you." Alex says.

"Okay, first of all, we have no idea what you're talking about Alex." Tess snaps, and she and Isabel get their stuff together and start to leave.

"I know what you are, Tess." Alex says and both of the girls stop.

"What are you talking about?" Tess asks worridly.

"I saw what you did last night with the shirt. You're an alien." Alex accuses.

Tess launches herself at Alex in anger. "You were spying on me from outside my bedroom window? You son of a bitch!"

Alex manages to hold Tess at bay until Isabel can get her friend under control, whispering into her ear. Tess is too angry to form the words to yell at Alex. After a moment Isabel lets Tess go and Tess throws one last angry glare at Alex before storming off.

"What the hell, Whitman?" Isabel demands. "Why the hell were you spying on my best friend last night?"

"Because I know that Max was at the Crashdown the day of the shooting and that he did something to Liz. I got that much from Maria before she suddenly goes all hush hush about the whole deal. I also knew that you and Tess were with Maria the night of the Festival and that she was supposedly hit by a car and then she was fine." Alex explains. "I wanted to find out was going on and I thought that I would talk to Tess because she lives closest to me. So I went to her house. I was going to let her know that I was there but I saw her in the window and she was holding a shirt, which she then changed the color of just by waving her hand over it. I freaked out and left."

"Alex, you can't tell anyone about what you saw." Isabel says stiffly.

Alex looks at her for a long moment. "It's not just her, is it?" He asks.

Isabel shakes her head after a moment in the negative. "No, it's me too." Isabel reveals with a sigh.

Alex is silent for a moment, then speaks again. "It's Max and Michael too, isn't it?"

"You can't tell anyone Alex. This is a matter of life and death for us." Isabel pleads.

"I won't say anything." Alex says honestly after a moment. Isabel nods in a silent appreciation.

"Thank you." Isabel says, gracefully.

English Class

Tess is sitting at her desk, doodling on a piece of paper. She looks up as Max and Michael enter the room and walk over to their desks, which are in front of and to the right of Tess'. Max looks at the furious expression on Tess's face.

"What did I do now?" Max asks her innocently. She glares at him.

"If you have to ask then you probably did something that I'll get pissed off about later, but for right now, it's Alex. He was spying on me last night and he knows about me and what I can do." Tess complains, angrily. She wipes a couple of tears away from her face and looks at Max. "I'm really scared here Max. If Alex can spy on me without me catching him, then what about the FBI or alien hunters or people looking to hurt us?"

"Shhhhh, Tess. It'll be alright." Max says, pulling her into a brotherly hug and kissing the top of her head. Liz walks in and sees the trio. She grins and walks over. She sees Tess' angry expression and frowns. "What's wrong?"

"Alex was spying on Tess last night and saw her using her powers." Michael says, frustrated. "At this point, we might as well just put up a bulletin and let everyone know about the fact that we're aliens."

"Be quiet Michael, there are other people who can hear us." Tess says, sniffing back the rest of her tears. A tall blonde woman walks into the room and over to the teacher's desk. She puts her bag onto the desk and face the class as they all take their seats.

"That is definantly not Mr. Phelps." One of the male students sitting behind Max says.

"Hello, I'm Kathleen Topolsky and I'll be substituting this class for Mr. Phelps who is out sick for a few days." The woman informs the class.

"I hope he's seriously ill." The same student whispers over to Michael, who chuckles.

"So this is the infamous Roswell, New Mexico." Ms. Topolsky says genially. "I just have one question. Does anyone here actually believe in aliens?"

TO BE CONTINUED……


	3. Suspicions

Four Square from the Start

A/N: I hope everyone's enjoying the ride of my latest adventure in the realm of Roswell Fanfiction. This is going to be a CC fic which will maybe lead to UC in later parts. Sorry that this one is so short.

Quote of the Day:

"If we don't live together, we're going to die alone."

Jack Shepard, Lost Season One, Episode 5- 'The White Rabbit'

Chapter 2b- Suspicions

Sheriff's Office- Late Night

The second story window opens from the outside and Michael falls into the room. He moves over to the slightly open door and peers out slowly. The hallway is dark, so he shuts the door just in case and locks it. He moves over to the sheriff's file cabinets and opens the first one. It's empty, as are the others. Shutting them in disappointment, he glances at the ceiling for a moment and does a double take. One of the plastic panels is slightly off center. He reaches up and pushes it out of the way, leaving a gap in the framework. He drags the Sheriff's chair over and stands on it so that he can see up in the hidden storage space. There is only one box up there and Michael grabs it and pulls it to him. He places it onto the sheriff's desk and takes the top off of it. Inside are a bunch of newspaper clippings and several files about the 1947 crash and other alleged alien and UFO sightings over the past fifty years. Michael picks up a small manilla packet and opens it to find a key inside. He pulls the key out and is hit with a powerful vision. He sees flashes of a giant domelike building. He gasps and falls to the floor.

School Hallway

Liz is standing by her locker watching as Topolsky ducks into the records room. Alex sees her standing there and walks over.

"What's going on?" Alex asks.

"I think that Ms. Topolsky is up to something, and I think that it might not bode well for our friends." Liz answers, and the two of them wait until Topolsky walks back out, carrying a handful of folders and paperwork. She hurries down the hall and Liz turns to Alex. "I'll see you later." Liz says quickly and hurries off after Topolsky.

She passes Kyle, who stops her and she looks at him.

"We need to talk Liz." Kyle says roughly.

"About what?" Liz asks sweetly.

"Don't play games with me Liz. You've been seeing someone else, haven't you?" Kyle accuses.

"What! No, It's nothing like that, I swear." Liz protests, watching as Topolsky walks around the corner. "Listen Kyle, we can talk about this later, alright?" Liz says.

"There isn't going to be a later, Liz. We're done." Kyle says angrily and walks off.

Liz watches him go for a moment in sadness, then jogs down the hall way and turns the corner, bumping into Topolsky and causing her to drop the files she is holding. Liz bends down to help her pick up the files and spots Tess, Max and Isabel's files among the bunch, as well as hers and Alex's.

Crashdown- Later that Day

Max walked into the Crashdown and saw Tess and Michael already sitting at a booth together. Tess and Michael look over, both sensing his presence the moment he walks in. Max sits down next to Tess.

"What's so urgent that you needed us all here?" Max asks, sitting down.

"I don't know. Michael won't tell me." Tess informs him.

"Wait until Isabel gets her, then I'll tell you." Michael says, an excited grin on his face. A few moments later, Isabel walks in and comes over to the table.

"What's up? It sounded important." Isabel says.

"It is. I found a link to our past." Michael says.

"What are you talking about?" Tess asks, confused and excited at the prospect of actually getting some answers.

"I did a little bit of poking around the sheriff's office before the raid and took a couple things." Michael says.

"You stole evidence from the police?" Isabel asks incredulously.

"Michael, what the hell were you thinking?" Max demands.

"Chill it Maxwell, I wasn't seen by anyone." Michael defends. "Besides, one of the things I took gave me a flash."

Tess, Max and Isabel all lean toward him at the same time.

"I knew that would get your attention." Michael said smirking. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a non-descript key. "When I touched this, I got a flash of a domelike building. I think that the key opens the door to it or something."

"Let me see it, maybe I can spark something." Tess says, holding her hand out. Michael drops the key into her palm and she holds it up to her face, examining it closely. After a moment she shakes her head. "Nothing. Sorry."

Max tries and gets nothing as well. Isabel takes it and gasps.

"What? What did you see?" Michael asks.

"Hayden Christensen in the shower." Isabel says with a grin and Michael grabs the key back. Tess gives a short chuckle and Max just shakes his head.

"That's not even funny." Michael says stiffly. He looks up from the key and see Liz walking over.

"Patron Saint of Roswell High, 3 O'clock." He mutters.

"Who?" Max and Tess ask, turning around to see Liz coming toward them.

'Ummm, hi.." Liz says slowly and the four aliens look at her, waiting for her to continue. "We might have a problem."

"What are you talking about?" Tess asks, getting a worried look on her face. Isabel gets it too.

"I bumped into the English sub, Topolsky in the hall way today and she had files that she dropped. She had files of me, Max, Isabel, Tess, and Alex. I don't think she is who she says she is." Liz informs the group, and they look at her with wide eyes.

"Why would she have files on you and Alex?" Isabel asks.

"I don't know." Liz says honestly. "Maybe she knows that we're involved with you guys."

"Well, then what about Michael and Maria? Wouldn't Topolsky be investigating them too?" Tess says, confused.

"I don't know Tess." Liz says. "I didn't mean to alarm you guys, I just thought that you should know."

"Thanks Liz. We'll check into Topolsky and see if she's anything to worry about." Max says and Liz nods. "You don't need to get involved, this isn't your fight."

"Yes, Max. It is my fight, It has been since you saved my life." Liz says stubbornly.

"Fine. We can't stop you but you're putting yourself at unnecessary risk here Liz." Max replies and Liz nods.

"It's my decision. I want to help you guys." Liz says.

"So what do you suggest we do about Topolsky then?" Michael asks.

"We watch her. If she isn't who she says she is, then eventually she'll mess up and tip her hand." Max says and the others nod.

Roswell High School- The Next Day

Max and Tess walk into the school together and are spotted by Topolsky. She walks up to them and they stop where they are, unsure of what to make of her. Max decides to make the first move.

"Can we help you with something, Ms. Topolski?" Hasks.

"I'm not a substitute teacher." Topolsky admits. Max and Tess gape at her. "I'm the new guidance councilor. I just wanted to let the two of you know that you made the honor's list. Congratulations."

The pair of young aliens stare at Topolsky as she walks away, neither seeing the sinister look that appears on her face as she turns her back on them.

TO BE CONTINUED……


	4. 285 South Part 1

Four Square from the Start

Quote of the Day:  
Isabel: The perfect Liz Parker, lying to her parents?  
Liz: Yeah, well at least they know what species I am.  
Roswell Season 1, Episode 5- 285 South

Author's Note: This and the next couple of chapters will be parallel to the 285 South and Riverdog episodes on the show.

Chapter 3a:

Computer Lab  
Michael is sitting at one of the terminals, staring at the computer screen. He's on the google search engine and types Geodomes into the image section and a bunch of pictures pop up on the screen. He scrolls down the page for a couple of seconds, looking at the results, then gets a look of astonishment on his face and clicks on one of the pictures, getting the link to the web site it came from.  
"Jackpot." Michael says triumphantly and begins to print the pages off the internet. "Max, Issy and Tess are gonna love this."

Roswell High School- History Class  
Max, Tess, Isabel, Liz, Kyle, Alex and Maria are sitting around the classroom. The teacher is standing at the head of the class.   
"History is very important in the development of the future. We've talked about the history of the United States for the past month, and now I'd like to know more about you. For homework tonight, you will be paired up and write a personal history report on your partner. Okay let's see. Burke with Reynolds. Whitman with Harding. Parker with Evans."  
Liz throws a quick glance at Max.  
"That's I. Evans. M. Evans is with Valenti. Jackson with Kelly. And Deluca with Guerin."  
Maria perks up. "Hold on a second, did you just say Deluca with Guerin?"   
"I believe I did." The teacher answers.  
"Uh, uh. That's not acceptable." Maria exclaims.  
"I beg your pardon?" The teacher says, confused.  
"The guy is a delinquent, he's not even here." Maria complains. Behind her, Isabel and Tess throw eachother a knowing glance and grin.   
"Well then it will be like real fieldwork, tracking down your subject and questioning him." The history teacher says with an air of finality. Maria leaned back in her seat with a huff.

Roswell High School- Empty Classroom  
Michael is sitting on the teacher's desk waiting. Tess walks into the room, holding a piece of paper in her hand. Isabel walks in shortly afterwards and right after that, Max enters, locking the door after him.  
"What's this about, Michael?" Tess asks.  
"I found that dome that I saw in my vision." Michael says, and the others look at him in shocked surprise. "We have to go to Marathon Texas."  
"We can't just do that Michael. Not with Valenti watching us." Max says. "It's too dangerous."  
"Max is right. Besides, we don't know enough about this dome yet either." Isabel says.  
"Then we go and find out." Michael argues.  
"Let's just find out more about this thing before we go charging in." Tess tells Michael, agreeing with the other two teenaged aliens.  
"Fine! I'll just go myself. You three stay here and enjoy your perfect lives. I'm gonna go get some answers." Michael snaps and leaves the room in a huff. Isabel and Tess watch him go in concern.  
"He can't get far without a car." Max reminds the two alien girls, who both nod.

History Classroom  
The History Teacher and Ms. Topolsky are talking.  
"I just wanted to thank you for giving me the idea for the project." The teacher says. "These questions are so insightful."  
"Did you put the people I suggested together?" Topolsky asks  
"Yeah. Why these pairings though?"  
"Sometimes you can get the best information by putting the right people together."

School Hallway  
Tess is walking and is approached by Alex. She immediately turns around and heads the other way, hopung that he hasn't seen her. Her hopes are quickly smothered as Alex calls out her name and jogs over to her as she turns to face him head on.  
"What is it.?" She asks irritably, remembering the last time the two of them spoke and Alex told her that he had been spying on her and that he knew her secret.  
"Hey, relax. I just wanted to know where and when you wanted to do the history assignment." Alex asks.  
"I don't care. Just make up some answers or something. I'd have to liwe about most of the questions anyways." Tess replies flippantly.   
"Listen Tess… I know that the last time we spoke I was a bit of an ass." Alex says.  
"Yeah, understatement of the century." Tess mutters sarcastically, nodding at Max as he passes and heads down the hall.  
"Well the point is that I'm sorry. I want to make it up to you." Alex tells her.  
"Does that mean that I can stand up on a picnic table at lunch and announce to the entire school that you've got herpes?" Tess asks with a mock-hopeful tone to her voice. Alex bites back a laugh, but grins.   
"Nah, but I will buy you dinner. Five-thirty at the Crashdown okay?" Alex asks and Tess nods after a moment.  
"Fine."   
Further down the hall, Max is walking and Kyle steps into his path.  
"Evans." Kyle greets tonelessly. Max nods.  
"What's going on Kyle?" Max asks.  
"Well, I just thought that maybe we could meet at the Crashdown later today and go over some of these questions." Kyle says, holding up the packet of paper from history class.  
"Yeah. I guess that would be alright." Max says, watching as Liz walks by. Kyle follows his gaze and grins.  
"Oh, I get it now. It was you she was cheating on me with." Kyle says, his voice laced with anger.  
Max turns to look at Kyle. "What? No, Kyle. Liz and I are not together, we're just friends."  
Kyle stares at Max for a few moments, as if gauging the truthfulness of his words. After a couple of seconds he nods. "Alright Evans, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now."  
Max nods and slowly walks away, wanting to put as much space between himself and Kyle as possible for the time being.

School Parking Lot  
Michael is walking towards the school exit when Maria's Jetta skids to a stop in front of him. He jumps back in surprise and lets out a shocked yell. He looks at Maria as if she's crazy as she gets out of the car and approaches him.  
"Are you insane?" Michael asks angrily.  
"If I am it's cause you've driven me to it." Maria retorts. "Listen, I know that you're not into this whole school thing, but here in Roswell, us earthlings need to finish high school and go to college in order to have a good life."  
"Funny." Michael says dryly.  
"We have this personal history report to do for homework and as much as it kills me to say, we've been paired up." Maria explains.  
"No way." Michael says shortly, shaking his head.  
"Please, I really need the grade for the class." Maria pleads.  
"My heart bleeds." Michael quips sarcastically. He notices her car, seemingly for the first time. "Are you driving somewhere?"   
"Why?" Maria asks suspiciously at the change in his attitude.  
"Give me a ride and I'll answer your stupid questions." Michael snaps.   
"Alright…." Maria says skeptically.

Blast Off Auto Shop  
Maria pulls the car to a stop and gets out, grabbing a box as she goes. She walks over to a man wearing a uniform for the shop and starts talking to him. Michael moves into the drivers seat and starts the car up again. Maria turns from where she's talking to the man.  
"He's stealing my car." Maria realizes aloud. "Hey!"  
Maria runs in front of of the car right before Michael can get onto the main road. She moves and gets into the passenger side.  
"You're stealing my car." Maria accuses him.  
"I'm borrowing it." Michael corrects lamely. "Get out."  
"Hell no, this car is the key to mine and my mother's relationship, so where it goes, I go." Maria announces.  
"Fine, you had your chance." Michael says with a smirk. He drives onto the main road.  
"Oh my god! You're kidnapping me! No wait, you're abducting me!" 

Sheriff's Office  
Valenti walks into the station and is approached by Deputy Hanson, who is carrying a manilla folder.  
"Sheriff, this was anonymously dropped off at the front door this morning, and there was a note on it that it might come in handy."  
Valenti takes the floder and opens it. Inside is a copy of the computer file that Michael was looking at with the Geodome.  
"Good work deputy." Valenti praises and walks off.

Crashdown   
Max, Isabel, Tess, Liz, Alex and Kyle are scattered around the restaurant. Liz and Isabel are sitting together at the counter, Alex and Tess are sitting at a booth in the back, and Max and Kyle are sitting at a booth adjacent to Liz and Isabel.  
"So what's your favorite memory?" Alex asks Tess.  
"Um, probably finding Max and Michael and Isabel again after two years." Tess says, then realizes how that would sound to the teacher. "Put down meeting the three of them for the first time. What about you?"   
"That would be my trip to Florida summer before last." Alex says with a grin.  
"So what's the best thing that's ever happened to you?" Kyle asks Max snidely.  
"Getting adopted I guess." Max replies hesitantly, throwing a glance at Liz.   
"Vanilla's your favorite flavor of Ice Cream?" Isabel asks.  
Liz shrugs nonchalantly, glancing over at Max. "Yeah." Isabel looks over at her then at Max and back again. She grabs a bottle of ketchup and hands it to Liz.  
"Go give them a refill." Isabel tells her.  
Liz is silent for a moment then grabs the ketchup bottle and brings it over for the two. Both Max and Kyle look up as she approaches.  
"Just bringing you a refill of ketchup." Liz tells them amicably. "How's it going?"  
"Good." Max replies, and Kyle gives a short nod.  
"Yeah we just starting to get to know eachother better." Kyle says with a grin. Liz's cell phone rings suddenly and she hurries back over to the counter to get it.  
"Hello?" Liz asks into the phone.  
"So here we are driving. It's weird isn't it? Who would have thought the two of us would be in a car together?" Maria's voice crackles through the static on the phone.  
"Maria? What are you talking about?" Liz asks. She hears another voice in the background. "Is that Michael?"  
Isabel immediately looks up at the mention of Michael's name. She looks very concerned.  
"So where are we heading?" Maria asks Michael loud enough for Liz to hear on the other end. "South on 285, huh?"  
"What are you talking-" Liz can hear Michael says and then there is a thud and the line goes dead.  
"Maria? Maria!" Liz says into the phone. She hangs up the phone and turns to see Isabel staring at her.  
"What was that all about?" the statuesque alien girl asks.  
"That was Maria. She was acting really weird. She said she was driving, heading south on 285. I think I heard Michael." Liz says.  
Isabel looks at Liz only for a moment. She gets up and walks over to Max. He looks up at her.  
"We gotta go now." Isabel says urgently and Max nods. He gets up and turns to where Tess and Alex are talking.  
"Tess! We gotta go!"Max calls out and Tess excuses herself from Alex and hurries over.  
"What's going on?" Kyle asks.  
"Nothing, just a family emergency." Max says quickly.  
"Then why is Tess leaving?"  
Max doesn't answer, he just ushers the two alien girls out of the Crashdown, heading for Tess's SUV. The three of them start to get in. Liz and Alex run over as well.  
"We're coming too." Alex says.  
"You can't. It's too dangerous." Max replies.  
"Maria is our friend too." Liz insists.  
"Whats going on here?" Kyle asks, jogging up to the group.  
"Fine, get in." Max says, not wanting to have Kyle asking too many questions. Liz and Alex get into the car and Tess backs out of the parking spot and drives off down the road. In the parking spot next to where they were, a man in a crisp black business suit sits in a black Honda civic. He picks up a cell phone and dials a number.   
"They just left." The man says into the phone. "The two Evans, Harding, Whitman, and the Parker Girl. Yeah, I know- follow them. I'll report back in a couple of hours."

TO BE CONTINUED……


	5. 285 South Part 2

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 3B: Headin' South

Valenti Household  
Jim walks into the living room of the house and finds Kyle sprawled out on the couch. Kyle is holding the phone up to his ear.  
"Okay, I'll try to reach her at Isabel's then.?" Kyle says into the phone. He turns around and sees Jim standing there.  
"What's going on, son?" Jim asks.  
"Nothing, I mean. I don't know. Me and Max Evans were doing this history thing for homework at the Crashdown, and then he just took off. Isabel, Liz, Alex and Tess went with him, so I called all of their houses. They all lied to their parents." Kyle says.  
"Max Evans, huh?" Jim says.  
Kyle looks at Jim for a moment. "Do you know something about this Dad?"   
"Kyle, I don't want you near Max. There's something off about him." Jim says, heading for the door.  
"Where are you going? You just got home." Kyle asks.  
"I forgot something in my office." Jim covers and head out the door. 

Jimbo's Gas Station  
Tess parks the car in front of the gas station's convenience store, and then shuts off the engine. The five friends get out of the car and stand outside the car. Max takes a quick census of what everyone wants and then heads into the store.  
Tess and Isabel distance themselves from their two human counterparts.   
"Do you think we'll catch up to them before they reach Marathon?" Isabel asks.  
"I seriously doubt it, but I'm not so sure that it's a bad thing." Tess says. "I kinda want to know what the vision Michael had was all about. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed that he wouldn't wait for us to figure something out, but Michael's, well Michael."  
Isabel gives a short, harsh laugh. "Yeah he definantly is."

Max grabbed the stuff that the other four had requested, and paid at the counter. He walked out and notices a man in a business suit at the pay phone getting confronted by another guy.  
"Hey buddy, if you're not going to use the phone then hang it up!" the other man complains. The suited guy looks over to see Max staring at him, then turns away quickly. Max turns and heads for Tess' SUV. He passes the guy's car and runs a hand along the side of it as he goes, deflating both the tires on the left side of it. He continues to the SUV and gets in the driver's seat, replacing Tess. He starts up the engine and drives off. The man in the suit hangs up the phone and heads over to his car as well and sees that the tires have both been deflated. He sighs and pulls out a cell phone.

Sheriff's Office  
Jim is sitting at his desk, talking on the radio phone.  
"The vehicle is registered to one Tess Harding of Roswell, New Mexico." Jim says into the phone.  
"Nothing on her but we did have an encounter with another couple of kids from Roswell." The voice of a highway patrolman says through the other end of the line. "A Michael Guerin and Maria Deluca. They were heading south on 285."  
Jim opens his desk drawer and looks at the printout of the geodome, then goes over to the giant map and traces his finger down the 285 route from Roswell and finds that Marathon is down towards the end of the highway. He taps the map twice and goes back over to the radio.   
"Thanks highway, you've been a big help." Jim says.  
"Glad to oblige." The voice says and clicks off.

Maria's Jetta  
Michael is still driving and Maria is in the passenger seat. The Jetta's hood begins to smoke and Michael pulls over to the side of the road and gets out. He pops the hood and looks at the smoking engine. He runs a hand over it, trying to fix it, but instead he sets it on fire. Angrily he throws down the hood. He stalks over to the back seat as Maria watches. He opens the door and gets into the car again.   
"What are you doing?" Maria asks.  
"Getting some sleep." Michael replies. "The battery is fried."  
Michael tries to push a box out of the way.  
"Be careful with that, it extremely sensitive to-" Maria stops as a whistling is heard inside of the box and a couple seconds later a large green alien balloon head pops out. Michael stares at it, slightly pissed.  
"Nice." He quips sarcastically. He gets out of the car and starts walking towards a motel that is about a hundred yards away. Maria gets out and follows.  
"Where are you going?" She questions him.  
"I'm not sleeping in there with that monstrosity." Michael snaps. "There's a motel over there and I'm going to get a room for the night."

Kyle's car  
Kyle is sitting in his car, holding his cell phone. He dials Liz's number. After a couple of rings, she picks up the other end.   
"Hello?" Liz's voice comes on over the receiver.  
"Hey Liz, listen, you left your science book at the Crashdown so I held onto it for you. I'm coming to your place to drop it off."   
"Actually Kyle. I'm at Maria's." Liz tells him.  
"Okay, I'll bring it there." Kyle tells her.  
"No, Kyle. It's okay, just keep it and I'll see you at school." Liz says as a large truck goes by and beeps.  
"Was that a truck?" Kyle asks suspiciously.  
"No, it was just the tv. I'll see you at school Kyle. Bye." Liz says and hangs up the phone.  
Kyle hangs up as well. "Maybe sooner than that." He says and drives his car onto the beginning of the highway, heading south on 285. 

Tess' SUV  
Max drives up to a roadblock and slows the car to a stop. Everyone gets out of the car and stands around it.  
Isabel turns to Max and Tess. "I'm going to go see what's going on."   
"Yeah, I'll go with you." Tess says and the two girls head off to find out what the holdup is all about. Alex looks and sees the motel, with some vending machines in the front of it.  
"I'll go get us something to eat." He offers and Max and Liz nod. He jogs off toward the building leaving Max and Liz by themselves. Liz turns to Max.  
"So this geodome that Michael's going to find, what is so important about it?" Liz asks.  
"It's complicated." Max says. He reaches up behind Liz, who moves so he can put his arm around her. Instead of embracing her, he reaches up and repairs a tear in the ceiling fabric. Liz looks at his handiwork, and grins. She leans close to him, but he pulls away.  
"Liz, I'm sorry but we can't be anything more than friends. It isn't safe." Max says.  
"What if I said that I didn't care." Liz says, leaning closer. Max doesn't move this time and Liz moves her face closer to him, moving in to kiss him. Their lips are about to brush when Tess knocks on the window, breaking the two of them apart. Isabel is there too. Max opens the door.  
"Whats going on up there?" Max asks.  
"The road won't be open for another hour or so." Tess says. "By then it'll be too late to catch them."  
"Possibly in more ways then one." Alex tells them grimly as he rejoins the group.  
"What are you talking about?" Isabel asks, confused. Alex turns and points out Maria's Jetta parked neaby the motel.  
"Oh great…" Tess mutters.

Outside Motel Room  
Max, Liz, Isabel, Alex and Tess walk up to the door of the room that Michael and Maria are in. Max holds his hand up to the door and uses his powers to unlock it. He slowly opens the door and walks into the room. Maria jerks up and falls out of the bed and goes sprawling onto Michael just as Max flicks the light on. They both look over at the new arrivals in shock.  
"What are you doing here?" Maria gasps out.  
"We thought that you were in trouble." Liz says. "I guess we were wrong."  
Maria looks at the awkward position that she is in with Michael and quickly gets up. "Nonono, it's not what you think."  
She looks at Michael. "Tell them."  
"It's okay honey, we don't have to lie." Michael quips, sitting up. Maria gapes and starts whacking him with a pillow.  
"Relax Maria, the day that Michael calls someone 'honey' it's all over." Isabel says with a chuckle.  
"What are you guys doing here, really?" Michael asks.  
"Cleaning up your mess as usual. Michael, what were you thinking?" Max asks.   
"I was thinking that I can wait around for the three of you anymore. You like Roswell and your families and your make believe lives. That's great Maxwell. Keep pretending. But don't think for one second that it's going to last, because on of these days they're going to find out about us, and when they do, everyone in this  
room…." Michael trails off looking at the door as Kyle walks in.  
"Kyle!" Liz exclaims in surprise.  
"Everyone in this room is what?" Kyle asks.  
"Get out." Michael demands.  
"Why don't you go ahead and finish what you were saying? Or are you afraid that I might find out your little secret is? Are you afraid that I might find out what the seven of you are doing out here? In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night?" Kyle says angrily.  
"I said… Get out!" Michael yells and grabs Kyle. He throws him across the room, where Kyle crashes into a chair and falls to the floor. He slowly gets up and looks at the group with hatred in his eyes. Tess and Isabel look terrified, Max worried and Michael looks pissed. Liz, Maria and Alex look from the four aliens to Kyle and back again, unsure of what to do.  
"What the hell are you people?" Kyle demands.

TO BE CONTINUED…..


	6. Signs of the Past

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 3C: Signs of the Past

A/N: As I write this, I'm kicking myself for not doing a version of the Monsters eppie, so for the sake of my sanity and the continuity of this fic, lets assume that Max (and Tess) already work at the UFO Center. Sorry for my lack of thoughtfulness. The numbers on Tess' license plate are the same as my birthdate, 11-23-85. Just some useless information from me.

Motel Room  
Kyle is still staring down Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess as Liz, Maria and Alex watch, unsure of what to do about the confrontation.  
"What's going on here? What the hell are you all doing out here!" Kyle demands and when no one answers, he turns to Liz. "I'm gonna get you out of here. Come on."  
Kyle takes Liz by the arm and starts to lead her out of the room. Max gets in his way.  
"Leave her alone." Max says, grabbing Kyle's arm. Kyle retaliates by punching Max in the face. Max staggers back and Kyle takes the opportunity to tackle him to the ground. They both go down and start brawling on the floor, each trying to get the upper hand.  
"Stop it!" Liz and Isabel yell angrily and Michael and Alex charge in and pull the two apart. Alex pushes Kyle towards the door as Michael helps Max up. Kyle looks at Liz.  
"I don't know what's going on here, but I want you to come back with me, Liz." Kyle pleads.  
"Then maybe you should have had a little bit more faith in me when we were dating." Liz says quietly, then her expression hardens. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore Kyle. You don't belong here, this has nothing to do with you."  
Kyle looks at her in astonishment and shock. "I don't know what I ever saw in you." Kyle bites out before turning on his heel and striding out of the room. Max waits a few moments, then turns to Liz, Maria and Alex.  
"I'll take you guys home." Max says somberly, but Liz shakes her head vehemently.  
"No! No more hiding stuff from us Max. Alex, Maria, and I, we're a part of this now. If we don't know everything, how are we supposed to protect ourselves? And how are we supposed to help you?" Liz asks, a determined look on her face.  
"We don't need your help!" Michael says angrily, causing Maria to scoff.  
"Right. Try stealing someone else's car next time and getting away with it." Maria says sarcastically.  
"What… What do you want to know?" Tess asks softly, speaking for the first time since they had arrived at the Motel room. Max, Michael and Isabel look at her as if they had forgotten that she was there.  
Liz is silent for a moment before replying. "Everything."  
"That'll make the three of you accomplices." Isabel warns.  
"Go ahead." Alex says, without missing a beat.  
Max sighs and sits down on the bed.  
"A couple weeks ago, Michael broke into Valenti's office looking for the picture that he showed you of the dead body from 1959. The one with the handprint." Max starts.  
"It's the only proof we've ever had that there are other aliens besides us." Michael continues. "I found a box of stuff relating to the crash in a hidden compartment of Valenti's office ceiling. Among the stuff was a key that gave me a vision of this dome."  
"The one in Marathon?" Maria asks.  
"Yes." Tess confirms.  
"So you guys think that the key is going to unlock the dome and then you're going to find something there… something that's gonna find out where you guys actually come from?" Liz guesses and all four aliens slowly nod.  
"So then what are we waiting for then?" Alex asks.  
The four aliens look at the other three people in the room and then as one, all seven head for the door.

Outside the geodome  
Tess is driving and Isabel is in the passenger seat with the other five occupants of the SUV bunched together so that they can all see out the front windshield as they approach it. They all gasp at the sight.   
"It's exactly like you drew it Michael." Isabel whispers as Tess stops the car and the seven friends get out of the SUV and start walking to the house. After a few moments they reach the door and Michael pulls out the key.  
"Moment of truth." He quips before placing the key into the door lock. He tries to turn it, but it doesn't move. Michael dejectedly pulls it out.  
"Maybe it opens something inside." Tess suggests and runs her hand over the lock, opening it. Michael nods and pushes the door in. Max goes first and takes a cautious step into the building, his hand raised to blast at the off chance that someone was waiting to ambush them. He sees nobody, so he turns and waves to the others that the coast is clear. The others slowly make their way into the building and start checking it out, Tess, Isabel and Michael keeping their hands and guards up. The seven of them walk into what appears to be a living room, but like all the other rooms, it's completely empty.  
"I think that whoever searched this place found whatever it was that they were looking for a long time ago." Isabel says, looking at the condition of the walls and floor.  
"She's right. No one has been in here for years." Tess says in agreement with Isabel.  
"Well there has to be something here. I didn't have the vision for nothing." Michael insists.  
"Maybe you should try holding the key again." Isabel suggests, and Michael nods. He pulls the key out and wraps his hand around it in a tight squeeze. He holds onto it for a few moments before loosening his grip on it.  
"Nothing." He says sullenly. Maria walks over and stands next to him.  
"Try again." Maria says. Michael looks at her for a moment, then clasps his hand shut on the key again. After a few seconds, he is hit with another vision. He is looking up at the floor they're on from below. He snaps back to reality with a gasp.  
"There's something here." Michael says quickly. "A room."  
"Where?" Max asks.  
"I don't know. It's hidden." Michael replies and all seven of them start searching the room for a trapdoor or something. Michael moves over to a strip of wall with rocks cemented into it. He checks how well they have been fused in and one of them comes out with an easy tug. Isabel sees it happen and is next to him in a second. She and Michael look at the new hole in the wall and more notable keyhole inside it. Isabel looks over her shoulder.  
"Max, Tess!" Isabel calls out and the other two aliens and their human friends come over quickly.  
"Michael, the key." Tess urges, and Michael inserts the key into the hole and turns it. The seven friends spin around at the sound of metal against metal and watch as part of the floor rises and reveals a hidden staircase.  
"Is anyone else suddenly reminded of the Goonies?" Alex asks, slightly dumbstruck. Liz and Tess nod slowly. Michael pulls the key out and repockets it, then moves towards the opening in the floor. There is a loud screeching of tires from outside and all seven turn towards the entrance of the geodome.  
"Everyone into the hole, now!" Max exclaims urgently and they all hurry down the shaft, Max closing the trapdoor behind them as quickly but as quietly as he possibly can and it shuts just as Valenti walks into the living room. He doesn't see it close. He walks slowly into the room and is suddenly knocked to the ground by a swift kick to the back of the head, compliments of Kathleen Topolsky.  
Inside the secret room, the seven friends hear the thud of Valenti hitting the ground and stares at the ceiling, knowing that they don't have much time before being discovered by whoever is up there.  
"Oh my god." Liz whispers. Michael starts rummaging through papers and folders.  
"What are you doing?" Maria asks, looking from the ceiling to Michael, an expression of fear on her face, that is mirrored by the others as well.  
"Whoever is up there looking around is not going to stop until they've found us, and I'm gonna find out as much as I can before they do." Michael says hurridly, not looking up from going through the boxes of stuff. Max, Alex, Tess, Liz and Maria join in the rummaging. Isabel starts to, but stops as she notices a necklace hanging from a nail. She walks over to it slowly, seemingly caught in a spell that it has cast. Off to the far side of the room, Alex and Tess are searching a shelf of stuff and Tess notices a rat. She opens her mouth to scream, but Alex clamps a hand over her mouth before she can inadvertently alert whoever is above them of their imminent presence. Tess starts to struggle against Alex, but immediately stops. He releases her and she quietly nods her thanks, and the two of them watch as the rat crawls behind a map of the world and they can hear the metal pitter-patting of the rat's tiny feet. Exchanging a glance the alien girl and human boy move over to the map and lift it up to reveal a large metal pipe tunnel that goes out about a hundred and fifty feet and then has a light at the end of it.  
"Max… Max!" Tess calls over and Max looks over. He sees the tunnel and alerts Michael, who grabs a box and stuffs a bunch of stuff into it. He then carries the box over to the tunnel and shoves it in following after and pushing it as he goes. Liz, Maria and Alex follow, then Tess. Max looks over at Isabel, who is still examining the necklace.   
"Isabel." Max calls over as low as he can with her still able to hear him. She looks over and he nods his head at the tunnel. She turns back to the necklace and snatches it off the nail then turns and hurries over to where Max is standing by the tunnel. She ducks through and then Max goes through as well. Max turns and changes the paper map into aluminum and then fuses it to the wall. He then turns and follows Isabel out.

Tess' SUV is almost out off sight when Topolsky lifts open the hatch to the outside and looks out. Acting quickly, she pulls out a mini scope and looks at the car through it.  
"G112385" Topolsky reads the license plate through the scope. "That means that there are three confirmed members of the little alien conspiracy- Max Evans, Liz Parker, and now Tess Harding." She speaks into a mini tape recorder.

Tess' SUV  
Tess is in the driver's seat with Max riding shotgun. Isabel is sleeping, her head leaned up against Alex's shoulder. Alex is also asleep and Liz is writing in her journal.  
'All logic is gone. Here were my plans last night- finish my shift, dinner with the parents, half hour of talking with Maria on the phone, then dive into this issue I've been having with geometry, and hopefully finish in time to watch this A&E biography on Madame Curie. Instead I took off in an SUV that is long past due a tune up, broke into a house, essentially stole things from it, and engaged in general bonding with aliens. Welcome to my world.'

Maria's Jetta  
Michael is driving and Maria is riding shotgun. The box of stuff that they stole from the geodome is sitting on the back seat next to the over-inflated 'monstrosity' in the other box. Michael takes his eyes away from the road to look at Maria who has been staring at him for the past couple of minutes.  
"What did I do now?" Michael asks and Maria shakes her head.  
"Nothing. It's just that all the time that I've known you, I've always thought of you as, like, this guy from the other side of the tracks, going nowhere in life, which of course is still true, but now there's like this whole other side of you that I'm seeing for the first time." Maria says.  
"What, that I'm from…" Michael trails off.  
"Well yeah there's that. But alien stuff aside, underneath that weird, poorly bathed exterior, there's like this deeply wounded and vulnerable guy."  
"If this is about what happened between us yesterday, that's all over now." Michael says stiffly.  
"Wait, you think that something happened between us?" Maria asks incredulously.

Evans' House  
Max and Isabel sneak into Max's bedroom and put the box of stuff from the geodome in Max's closet. Isabel sees an old photo album on Max's top shelf and grabs it. She flips through it and pulls out a picture with a grin.  
"Hey Max, do you remember when Mom and Dad took us to Cape Cod that one year?" Isabel asks.  
"Yeah, that was the summer before mom stopped having us home schooled and enrolled us in public school, and we found Michael and Tess again." Max replies. "You had the worst sunburn ever and I almost broke my neck falling off of the pier near grandma's house."  
"It was before that. We were on the beach in Harwich one day and we drew this thing in the sand, this symbol together. Do you remember?" Isabel asks.  
"Yeah, what is this about Issy?" Max asks, curiously.  
Isabel hands him a piece of blank paper. "Close your eyes and try to draw it." She instructs.  
"But I don't remember it." Max tells her but Isabel pushes the paper closer.  
"Just draw it." Isabel demands.  
Max takes the piece of paper from Isabel and grabs a pen off of his desk. He closes his eyes and tries to recall the symbol, slowly sketching it out on the paper. When he is finished Isabel shows him the picture of her and Max as kids. The symbols are exactly the same.  
"What made you think of this?" Max asks her and she pulls the necklace that she got from the geodome.  
"I found this at Atherton's." Isabel says just as Mrs. Evans walks in.  
"Here you two are. Are you ready for some breakfast?" Mrs. Evans asks her two adopted children.  
"Morning." Isabel greets with a yawn.  
"You sound exhausted. How late were the two of you last night, I didn't even hear you come in." Mrs. Evans says, looking at the two of them with concern.  
"We just lost track of time cramming for the math midterm." Max covers quickly.  
"Well do me a favor, next time you're gonna a be up that late studying do it here." Mrs. Evans requests, then turns and leaves the room.   
Isabel looks at Max and sighs. "God, I hate lying to her."

Roswell High School  
Tess walks into the building and spots Kyle standing by his locker. She walks over to him.  
"Can we talk?" She asks politely.  
Kyle turns to her with a look of disdain on his face. "I don't know what we could possibly have to talk about." Kyle says and begins to walk off. Tess doesn't give up, however and follows him.  
"I just need to make sure that you're not going to tell anyone about last night." Tess tells him.  
"Why wouldn't I tell anyone about seven high school sophomores taking off and driving three hundred miles to Texas? I'm sure that my dad would love to hear about it." Kyle says vindictively, walking faster.  
Tess's next words stop him in his tracks. "You would actively ruin the reputations of Alex, Michael, Maria, Isabel and myself because of a pointless feud you're having with Max and Liz? I never knew that you were that petty Kyle. I thought that I could maybe talk some sense into you." Tess says. "We were friends…"  
"Yeah, once upon a time and all that." Kyle finishes. "Fine Tess, for the sake of our old friendship, I won't tell anyone about Max."   
"Thanks." Tess says with appreciation, and starts to head off. Kyle stops her, by grabbing her arm. "I won't tell anyone about Max until I have something on him that will destroy him. No more favors Tess. We're even now." Kyle says and releases her. He strides away, leaving a visibly upset Tess behind.  
"When that day comes, you'll be destroying more than just Max." Tess says sadly, not meaning for Kyle to hear, but he does. Kyle turns around to say something else, but Tess is gone.

TO BE CONTINUED…….


	7. Fear and Loathing in Roswell, NM

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 4A: Fear and Loathing in Roswell, New Mexico

(Like Anyone Reads This Part…)  
A/N: I just found out that my fiance Nicole, is pregnant with our first child, so I'm pretty psyched right now.

Roswell High School  
Isabel walks into the English class that she has with Tess and Alex. The room is empty except for Tess, who is sitting in her usual spot, looking very glum. Isabel frowns and walks over. She sits down in her seat next to Tess.  
"What's the matter?" Isabel asks, concerned. Tess doesn't answer for a moment, she just stares at the desk.  
"It's Kyle." Tess says and Isabel's look of concern hardens into an angry expression.  
"What did he do now?" Isabel asks, wondering how to exact revenge on Liz's ex for hurting her best friend. Tess shakes her head.  
"He didn't do anything. Not yet anyways." Tess says somberly. She looks at Isabel. "He told me that he wouldn't tell anyone about last night until he had something on Max that would destroy him. I'm just worried that he might actually find something on him, and then he won't just be destroying Max. It'd be you, me and Michael he'd be destroying as well."  
Isabel nods in silent understanding. "You could mindwarp him into forgetting." She suggests.  
Tess shrugs. "Max wouldn't let me do it to Liz when she found out, I highly doubt he'll allow me to do it to Kyle who just thinks he knows. Besides, I don't know how long it would last with the emotional state I'm in right now and we'd all probably end up with more problems if he broke out of it." Tess says with a sigh.   
"Well we've gotta do something." Isabel says, and Tess nods slowly in agreement.  
"Maybe you could dreamwalk him and convince him not to do anything." Tess puts in.  
"That would be too risky and then he'd know that something was up with me as well." Isabel says.  
The two alien girls sit in silence, contemplating their unclear future. 

UFO Center  
Milton Ross is narrating a slide show on the 1947 Crash and the government conspiracy to cover it up when a hand reaches out of the shadows behind him and grasps his shoulder. Milton turns around and finds Jim Valenti standing behind him.  
"Hello, Mr. Ross. May I speak with you for a minute?" Jim asks.  
"Uh, yes. Hold on." Milton says and turns to the group of people watching the presentation. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll be right back with you. Uh, study this slide." Milton says and then leads the sheriff over to a corner out of hearing range of the tourists. "How can I help you sheriff?"  
"Do you know of a guy named James Atherton? Wrote about aliens?" Jim ask and Milton nods.  
"Yeah. He was one of the first to publish on the '47 crash. He authored several books, most notable was Among Us which was released in 1955." Milton informs Valenti who nods, taking in the information.  
"You wouldn't happen to know if he was still alive, would you?" Jim asks, but Milton shakes his head.  
"That's really anyone's guess. He disappeared in 1959." Milton informs him, and sees the look of dawning knowledge on the sheriff's face. "Sheriff as a concerned citizen and an extraterrestrialogist, I'm compelled to ask. What's this about?"  
Jim is about to make something up, but looks behing Milton and is saved the trouble. "I think your slides are on fire." Valenti says and Milton turns around to look.  
"Oh god!" He exclaims and rushes over to put it out. Jim takes the opportunity to make a quick escape. He bumps into Max and Tess as they are walking out, both of them wearing the UFO Center uniform.   
"Mr. Evans. Ms. Harding." He greets with a nod. The two teens nod at him and walk on down the stairs without a word to him.  
"That man really scares me Max." Tess whispers once Valenti is out of earshot.  
"I know. That's why we can't afford to take anymore risks for a while. We gotta wait until things go back to normal." Max replies.   
"I don't think that things are ever going to be normal again." Tess says. "And I'm not sure whether or not that's a bad thing or a good thing yet."

Valenti's Office  
Jim is sitting at his desk, holding a copy of James Atherton's 'Among Us'. He flips open the back cover and looks at the picture of the author standing in front of the geodome from Marathon. He pulls out a copy of the 1959 murder victim. The faces are the same.  
"I'll be damned." Jim mutters and takes a permanent marker out of his pencil cup. He crosses off John Doe from the top of the photo and in neat handwriting writes James Atherton. He looks up as his lead deputy, Owen Blackwood, walks into the office and Jim looks up.   
"Sheriff, we've got a situation."

Max's Jeep  
Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess are sitting in the jeep with Max driving, Isabel in the passenger seat and Michael and Tess in the back.  
"So how are we going to do the sorting of all those files?" Tess asks.   
"We'll go through it piece by piece." Max replies  
"The four of us.. right? Cause there are some other people who might want to help out with that stuff." Michael says off-handedly.  
"Some other people?" Isabel asks slowly, a knowing smirk on her face.   
"Yeah that Maria girl." Michael replies.  
"It should just be the four of us." Max says.  
"Right." Michael says nodding. "Uh, the thing is I kind of told her that we would pick her up."  
"Michael!" Tess exclaims exasperated.  
"Hey she pushed it. She's a real vibrator. She sends out these vibes." Michael tells them.  
"She can't come Michael. It's just us four." Max says with finality.   
"Fine, can I use your phone?" Michael asks as Max turns onto the street that Max and Isabel live on. Max slams on the brakes at the sight of a bunch of police cars outside. The four of them stare at the commotion for a moment, then Max continues driving up to the house. He put the car in park in the street in front of the house and Jim Valenti walks over.  
"Isabel. Max. I'm afraid I've got some bad news." Valenti says solemnly.   
The four aliens get out of the car, Max and Issy leading the way over to a distraught Diane Evans. She looks over as the foursome approach.   
"Max, Issy! It's horrible, they robbed the house." Diane chokes out, then notices Tess and Michael. "Oh hey, Tessie, Michael."  
"Hi, Mrs. Evans." Tess greets warmly to the woman who was like a second mother to her. Michael gives a short nod in acknowledgement.  
"We're going to go check our rooms." Isabel says, taking charge. "Michael, Tess, you guys can help us."

Max's room  
Max and Isabel hurry into the room, as Michael and Tess stand at the doorway. Max checks the place where he had hidden the box of stuff that they took from Atherton's Dome. It isn't there anymore. Max turns to the other three.  
"Gone." He says simply and angrily kicks his matress which has been overturned and is lying on the floor.  
"Oh my god Max, they didn't come for the TV did they Max? Someone knew what we had here. Someone wanted it." Isabel says and looks over as Sheriff Valenti steps into the room, pushing past Michael and Tess.   
"Sorry." Valenti apologizes to Tess and Michael, then takes a look around the room.  
"Wow, I can only guess what it must be like to have your home broken into like this. A real violation." Jim says, glancing from Max to Isabel to Tess and Michael. All of them look at him with distrust in their eyes and he nods.  
"Fine, keep your secret Max." Valenti bites out. "I will find out the truth, mark my words."  
Jim leaves the room and Isabel turns to the other three. "I'm gonna go check my room."  
Max turns to Tess and Michael. "You two should go. Issy and I will meet you at the Crashdown later."  
Tess and Michael agree and excuse themselves from the room, heading out.   
Isabel goes off to her room and starts picking up some of the stuff. She turns around and sees Deputy Blackwood standing there, looking at her.  
"Can I help you with something officer?" Isabel asks sweetly, and Owen nods.  
"I need to get a statement. I can come back if-" Blackwood stops talking mid sentence, staring at the necklace around Isabel's neck. "Where did you get that?" Blackwood asks her suddenly.  
"At the mall. I kinda like the retro look of it. Why?" Isabel replies.   
"It's just that I haven't seen anything like that since I left the reservation." Owen reveals.  
"They must be branching out or something." Isabel suggests, and Owen nods.  
"Right." The deputy says. He turns to leave, but Isabel stops him with one last question.  
"What reservation?" Isabel asks.  
"I grew up on the Mesaliko Reservation just outside of town." Blackwood tells Isabel.

Crashdown   
Maria is standing in the back room of the resturaunt. The back door opens and Michael and Tess walk in. Michael jumps back at the sight of Maria.  
"Don't do that again." Michael says, shaking his head.  
"What? I didn't do anything." Maria says.  
"You startled me." Michael says.  
"I startled you?" Maria asks.  
"Cut it out guys, you can flirt later." Tess cuts in. "Did Max and Isabel get here yet?"  
"Why were they supposed to be here?" Liz asks, walking downstairs from the Parker apartment with Alex following. She stands by the door that seperates the back room from the main part of the resteraunt just as Max pushes it open and he and Isabel enter. "Oh, okay then."  
Max looks at the five people already in the room. "We need to talk somewhere in private."  
"My parents won't be home until at least eleven so we can use my bedroom." Liz offers, and Max nods.

Liz's bedroom  
Liz opens the door and leads her six friends into the room and closes the door behind them.  
Tess takes a look around the group.  
"Michael and I may have been being followed on our way here." Tess says. "We can't be sure but I had this feeling of foreboding, you know."   
"What did he look like?" Alex asks.  
"I don't know… A man in a suit. 30, 35 maybe. Tall. Brown hair. He looked suspicious. What can I tell you?" Michael says.  
Max looks troubled and both Tess and Liz pick up on it.  
"What is it Max?" Liz asks and Tess throws a look at her for a moment, then returns her attention to Max.  
"When we were on the road, chasing Maria and Michael, there was a guy who might have been following us." Max reveals. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want anyone to get worried."  
Isabel stands up from where she's sitting on Liz's bed. "I can't believe what's happening here. Someone breaks into our house, someone's following us. It's too real." Isabel says in a hurry, immensely freaked. The pendant comes out from under her shirt as she moves from her sitting position. Michael and Tess are both instantly transfixed by the symbol on it.  
"I know that. How do I know that?" Michael asks, and Tess nods, silently asking the same question.  
"The four of us all know it. Me and Isabel think that it's from wherever we came from."  
"Pretty wild, huh? I found it at the geodome." Isabel tells them.  
"It has to mean something then." Tess says  
"You know that Native American deputy? He said that he recognized it from the Mesaliko reservation just outside of town."  
Michael and Tess both look at Max as if to say, 'Let's go'. Max shakes his head.  
"We can't go anywhere right now. We can't make any suspicious moves." Max says.  
"Come on, we gotta go." Michael insists, but Max shakes his head again.   
"No one is going anywhere. Not right now." Max says with an air of finality.

Topolsky's office  
Kathleen Topolsky is sitting at her desk, reading through a report she is correcting. The door opens and Valenti walks in. Topolsky looks up with a smile on her face.  
"Ms. Topolsky." Valenti greets. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."  
"Not at all, Sheriff. You're always welcome here." Topolsky replies. "So, what can I do for you?"  
"There was a break in at Max and Isabel Evans' yesterday, and I was just wondering-" Valenti says and Topolsky cuts him off.  
"My wherabouts Sheriff?" Topolsky asks sweetly.  
"That wasn't gonna be my question, but why not?" Valenti asks. "I know that you took stuff from the Evans and I need to know what and why."  
"Sheriff, I can assure you that I have now idea what you're talking about." Topolsky covers lamely.  
"You know, I woke up with one hell of a headache in Texas. I know that you're FBI and I just thought that I'd give you a heads up before I call your superiors and let them know that you've been made. Good day Ms. Topolsky." Valenti says and Topolsky sinks back in her chair. After a couple of moments, she gathers her stuff and packs it into a duffel bag, then leaves the room.

Max's room  
Max is sitting at his desk, reading a book when he hears a knock on the window. He walks over, shaking his head in exasperation.  
"Michael I already told you that we're not-" Max stops as he opens the window to find Liz standing there. "What are you doing here?"   
"Uhmm, can I come in?" Liz asks, and Max nods. He moves to help her through the window, catching her as she falls. "Thanks." Liz says as Max helps her to steady herself.  
"No problem. So, what's going on?" Max asks her and Liz shifts nervously.  
"I didn't want to say this earlier because I didn't want anyone else to get involved, but I'm going to the reservation." Liz tells him.  
"No you're not. We're being watched." Max says.  
"Maybe you're not just being watched Max. Today they came for the files, what if tomorrow they come for you?" Liz asks. "If there's anything there, we need to find out."  
"Thank you, but no." Max says.  
"Max you saved my life. That was when this whole thing started, the people following you guys, and if anything happens to Michael, Tess, Isabel or you, I couldn't live with that. Let me do this one thing." Liz insists.  
"I already told you no." Max says.  
"Max, I didn't come here for permission. I came for the pendant. If you don't want to give it to me, that's fine. I'll just draw it, but I am going." Liz says firmly.  
Max caves and hands her the necklace. "First sign of anything suspicious, you call me and get out of there. Okay?" Max asks her and Liz nods.

Mesaliko Reservation  
Liz pulls up in Maria's Jetta and parks it. She gets out of the car and walks over to a jewelry peddler. The saleswoman grins as Liz approaches.  
"A pretty bracelet, for a beautiful lady?" The woman asks, holding up an ornate bracelet.  
"No actually I was looking for something more like this." Liz says, holding up the pendant. The woman examines it for a moment before Liz's arm is grabbed by an elderly native. He looks at the pendant then at Liz. After a moment he walks off. Liz and the peddler watch him go, then Liz looks at the other woman.  
"Who was that?" Liz asks.  
The woman is silent for a moment before she replies. "Stay away from him."

Later on, Liz is returning to the Jetta when the Native American approaches her.  
"Give me that." The man demands.  
"Who are you?" Liz asks, slightly scared of the man.  
"Please." The man repeats, holding his hand out. Liz hands the necklace over to the man and watches as he examines it. After a moment he looks at Liz. "Where did you get this?"  
"We just found it."  
"We?"   
"No. I found it."  
"Who else knows? How many know? Tell me."  
"No one else knows."  
"How did you know to come here? Were you followed?"  
Liz shakes her head. "No, I wasn't. I… What does this mean to you? Please tell me."  
The man looks at the pendant one more time. "This is dangerous, It brings death…."

TO BE CONTINUED…..


	8. Riverdog and Nasedo

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 4B: Riverdog and Nasedo

Quote of the Day: (Possibly the funniest in Early Season 3)  
Maria: Where were you?  
Michael: Where was I supposed to be?  
Maria: We were supposed to have lunch at school today.  
Michael: Today's Saturday  
Maria: No today's Friday. Hello? Where are you?  
Michael: I'm right here. Where's Saturday?  
Maria: What, are you guys saving the world from alien invasion?  
Michael: Would that keep you from kicking my ass?

Crashdown – Evening  
Liz is standing behind the counter when a native American man in his mid twenties walks up to her. Liz gives him a smile.  
"I think I'll try the Redskin Basket." The man says, slightly perturbed.  
"Yeah, I've been trying to get that off the menu for months." Liz says apologetically.  
"Thank you, my people are indebted." The man says. "My name's Eddie."   
"Liz." Liz introduces herself.  
"I have a message for you from Riverdog." Eddie tells her and pulls out a small piece of ceramic. He holds it out to Liz who takes it and holds it upto the broken necklacwe. The two pieces interlock perfectly. "He'll meet you tonight at ten."  
"Tonight." Liz repeats.  
"Come alone." Eddie tells her.  
"Out where?"  
"The reservation." Eddie replies and walks out. He passes Tess and Isabel as he goes by, and gives them a friendly nod which both of them return. They wait, watching until Eddie leaves before walking over to Liz.  
"What was that about?" Tess asks.  
"He was from the Mesaliko Reservation that Blackwood told Isabel about. I went out there last night and found someone that could have some of the answers that you guys have been looking for." Liz explains to the two alien girls. "He wants me to meet him tonight."  
"Then we all go." Isabel says, turning to Tess. "The four of us and Liz. We all go out."  
"Uh, that's the thing. He kinda wants me to go out there alone." Liz says hesitantly. Isabel and Tess look at her incredulously.  
"You can't seriously believe that we're not going to go out there and find out what the guy knows about our past?" Tess asks. "I'm going with you."  
"Yeah. I'm going too." Isabel says.  
"What are we talking about?" Michael asks, coming over.  
"There is something at that reservation. We're going up there tonight." Tess says.  
"Cool, I'm in. What time?" Michael asks.  
Isabel and Tess look at Liz. Liz is silent for a moment before sighong.  
"He said that the guy would meet me at ten tonight." Liz says.   
"There's only one problem in this thing. How do we convince Max?" Isabel points out.  
"We don't tell him, we just go." Michael says, and Tess nods her agreement.  
"I can't actively lie to my brother." Isabel says.  
"Lie to me about what?" Max asks, walking over to the four co-conspirators.  
"We're going to the reservation." Tess says.  
Max shakes his head. "No we're not." He says, with an air of finality.  
"You can order Isabel around all you want Max, but I am not going to sit around idly while the key to our entire existance is just waiting for us to find it!" Michael snaps.  
"I'm with Michael on this one, Max." Tess agrees slowly.  
Max looks at both Michael, who is glaring at him; and Tess, who is frowning apologetically.  
"Sorry Max, but we've made up our mind on the matter, we're going." Isabel says. Max is silent for a moment before nodding.  
"Fine. The five of us will go. Please just let me have one day to throw a plan together." Max says, but Liz shakes her head.  
"Eddie said that Riverdog would meet us tonight." She says. "If we don't go, we may blow our chance of the meeting."  
Isabel, Michael and Tess all throw a glance at Max. He doesn't do anything for a moment, then shrugs.  
"Alright." Max caves, indicating the door. "Let's go get some answers." 

Mesaliko Reservation  
Maria's jetta pulls up and Max, Liz, Michael, Isabel and Tess get out. The five of them are approached by Eddie, who doesn't look very pleased. Eddie walks over and glares at Liz.  
"I invited you. Just you." Eddie says, agitatedly.  
"These are friends of mine. It's important to them too." Liz says pleadingly, but Eddie shakes his head.  
"I'm sorry." Eddie says shortly and starts walking off.  
"Wait!" Tess calls out and Eddie turns around. Tess looks at Max.  
Max takes out the pendant, and shows Eddie. "This has meaning to the four of us. We need to find out what Riverdog knows. Please."   
Eddie is quiet for a moment, considering. "There will be a test." He says and motions for the group to follow him.

Back in Town  
Alex and Maria are in Max's jeep, with Alex driving. They are being followed by a black sudan which is very persistant. Alex turns down a side road then quickly backs into a back alley. The Sudan passes them and keeps going.  
"This is getting too crazy." Maria says in a loud whisper.  
"But the cause is good." Alex tells her. "We can't let anything happen to Is- our friends." Alex covers, but Maria has a knowing expression on her face now.

Parking Lot across the street from the Crashdown  
The Black Sudan pulls to a stop and parks in an empty spot. We can see the driver now, and it's Topolsky. She sits for a moment then moves to pull out, but Jim Valenti's cruiser blocks her in. Jim walks over and Topolsky rolls down the window. Jim smirks, an angry expression creeping onto his face.  
"Ms. Topolsky." Jim greets. "I could have sworn that I asked you to leave town."  
"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot." Topolsky says.  
"It's funny how everyone says that they've got off on the wrong foot when their cover's been blown." Jim says with a chuckle.  
"Sheriff, the thing is I may have some information you might want, and you have some I might need. Maybe we could strike up a deal here. Don't overthink things."

Mesaliko Reservation  
Eddie leads the group of Max, Liz, Isabel, Michael and Tess through a valley of long grass and bushes. He stops suddenly and turns to face the five teenagers.  
"This is it. Good luck." Eddie says and starts back the way that they came.  
"Wait!" You can't just leave us up here." Tess exclaims.  
"I have fulfilled my promise to Riverdog. You're on your own." Eddie says and continues walking away.  
"Fricken Eddie!" Max and Michael say at the same time.  
"Guys look." Liz says loudly to get everyones attention. The four aliens look at her and see that she is pointing at the opening of a cave nearby. Max and Michael lead the way up to the entrance and slowly make their way in to the dark tunnel. About a minute of walkinbg later. Isabel lets out a shriek and the cavern is instantly lit up by Max, Michael and Tess's powers. They see an elderly Native American standing there looking pleased. Isabel walks back over to the group, her own hand alight with her powers.  
"I have been waiting for the four of you a long time now, young ones." The man says. "Congratulations, you have passed my test."   
"You're Riverdog?" Tess asks and the man nods.  
"We were told that you had a message for us." Max says, getting right down to business.  
"Yes." Riverdog replies. "You might all want to get comfortable. This is going to take awhile."  
The five teenagers take a seat on the ground and Riverdog eases himself down as well.  
"When I was a young boy of fifteen, we had another visitor come to this reservation. The elders at the time believed that he was a demon and invited him into a sweat. They believed that if he was a demon, then he would not be able to withstand the trial. Just as they suspected he had to leave during the ceremony. He ran out of the tent and into the woods. We were told not to follow, but I was an impetuous youth, so I did. I found him dying near a river. He had these stones, and with them I was able to heal him. After that I became one of the only two people he trusted. In my language Visitor is Nasedo, so that's what I called him."  
"What about James Atherton?" Isabel asks and Riverdog looks at her sharply.  
"James Atherton was the other man that he trusted." Riverdog tells the group gravely.  
"What happened to Nasedo, and Atherton?" Tess asks, slowly.  
"Of Nasedo, I do not know. As for Atherton… Nasedo killed him." Riverdog says. "I have one more thing to show you."  
Riverdog stands and the five friends get up as well. Riverdog leads the way into an adjoining cavern. He stops and points to the eastern wall. Michael and Tess move over to it and shine light on it with their powers, illuminating the entire wall, which is covered with symbols similar to the one on the pendant that Isabel found at Atherton's geodome. The four aliens start examining the symbols in hopes that they will be able to decipher and understand them. While the four aliens are preoccupied, Riverdog walks to Liz.  
"You are not one of them." Riverdog says factually. Liz looks at him for a moment.  
"No, I'm not. They're my friends." Liz admits.  
"Make sure that they deserve your trust. Do not take them lightly." Riverdog warns.  
Tess is staring at a particular symbol that is an X shape with a circle attached to each point of it. She looks at the other three.  
"Guys." Tess calls over to them, and they look over. "I think that this is a map."  
"A map to where?" Isabel asks.  
"It leads home." Michael says with hope in his voice.

TO BE CONTINUED…….


	9. Deceptions

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 4C: Deceptions

A/N: I know that Kyle is acting like a real asshole right now, even more so than he was on the show, but it's not going to last. It'll be a while before he joins the I know an alien club though.

Quote of the Day:  
"Welcome to Primetime, Bitch!"  
Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street 3

UFO Center  
Tess is working on rearranging a display of an alien autopsy when Kyle walks over. Tess looks at him as he approaches, a wistful expression on her face.  
"Hi Tess." Kyle greets, indifferently.  
"What do you want Kyle?" Tess asks shortly.  
"What you said to me last week about when I find something on Max to destroy him, that he wouldn't be the only one I destroy, It got me thinking. I did some digging and surprise, surprise, I find an old newspaper article about four kids found naked and wanering in the desert in 1989." Kyle says.  
"What are you getting at Kyle?" Tess asks, knowing that her name wouldn't be in the papers back then even though she was one of the kids. Hell, she didn't even have a name at the time.  
"Fortunately for the kids they were adopted and their identities were withheld for fear of them being from some sort of child prostitution ring." Kyle says and Tess nods her head.  
"Why are you telling me this?" Tess asks, managing to keep the worry oput of her voice, just barely.  
"Because I know that you, Max, Michael and Isabel are those four kids. Now I know that it wasn't some sick fucker who gets his kicks off raping six year olds that lost you in the desert that night." Kyle says, and Tess turns away. Kyle grabs Tess' arm and stops her from leaving. She slowly turns to face him. "Don't insult my intelligence Tess. Who are you guys, and what were the seven of you doing in Texas last week?"  
"Alright, listen to me very carefully Valenti, cause I'm only going to say this once. Yes, we were those kids, I don't remember who I was before I became Tess Harding. Not my parents, age, where my home was. Hell I didn't even know my own name. Is that what you wanted to hear Kyle? Yeah, I'm a fucking orphan okay! Jesus, I really hate you right now." Tess yells at Kyle causing Max to peek around the corner to investigate.  
"What's going on here?" Max ask, not looking too pleased to see Kyle there. Tess and Kyle look over at Max simultaneously.  
"Nothing's going on. Kyle was just leaving." Tess bites out.  
Kyle looks at Tess for a moment. "I had a couple more questions for-" Kyle starts.  
"Well, I'm sorry, Mr. Valenti, but I'll have to consult with my lawyer before answering anymore of your hurtful questions. Contiue with them and I'll have my father get you thrown out of school." Tess threatens, using her father's status of a member of the school board as leverage.  
"Fine, but this isn't over." Kyle says and walks away. Max walks over.   
"Tess, what was that all about?" He asks softly, but Tess shrugs him off.   
"Just leave me alone Max, I need some space right now." Tess says sharply and Max backs off, giving a nod.  
"Whatever you want Tess." He says and goes back to what he was working on, but keeps an eye on Tess to make sure that she'll be alright. He doesn't notice the overcurious tourist watching both him and Tess. The tourist lingers for a moment, then leaves. He passes Michael as he enters. Michael walks over to Max

Crashdown Café  
"So what exactly did you guys find at the reservation last night?" Alex asks Liz. The two of them and Maria are sharing a booth.  
"Riverdog showed us this cave with a bunch of these weird symbols from wherever it is that Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess came from." Liz answers. "He also told us about another alien that crashed in 1947. His name is Nasedo, and he's the one who killed Atherton."  
"So what happened to him, then?" Maria asks curiously.  
"If Riverdog knew, he never told us. He did warn me, though. He said to make sure that Max and the others are worthy of my trust- our trust." Liz says, then looks over at the door as Kyle enters. Maria and Alex look over to see who Liz is looking at. Kyle walks past the threesome, throwing a vicious glare at them and continues over to the counter. He sits down and orders a coke. Liz watches him for a moment, then turns back to Maria and Alex.  
"Anyways, this Nasedo guy, I think we need to be careful. I think that he is very dangerous. He could be anywhere, even here, right now." Maria says.

Evan's Household  
Isabel is sitting at the dining room table when Michael walks into the house. She looks over as he enters the room.  
"What's up?" She asks.  
"Kyle has moved past just bothering Max and Liz. He's harassing Tess now." Michael says, disgruntled.  
"That asshole! I'll straighten him out." Isabel says angrily. Michael shakes his head.  
"Tess doesn't want anyone exposing themselves because of Kyle. He doesn't have anything viable on any of us, so just let it go." Michael says. Isabel opens her mouth to speak, but shuts it just as quickly.   
"Tess really said that?" Isabel says doubtfully, her eyebrows raised. Michael nods.  
"Word for word." Michael swears. "On the other hand, this thing with Liz, Maria and Alex. They're getting to involved in all of this."   
"Wow, Michael, you almost sound like your worried about them." Isabel says.  
"Come on Isabel, it's our lives on the line here, not theirs. We can't let this go any further." Michael says.  
"Like you cared so much about the rules when you dragged Maria to Texas." Isabel gibes, and Michael glares at her. The phone rings and Michael grabs it. He passes it to Isabel. She takes it and turns away from Michael. She presses the talk button.  
"Hello?" Isabel says into the receiver.  
"Hey Izzy. We're having a meeting at Tess's tonight. It's important." Max's voice says over the phone. "Can you be there in twenty minutes?"  
"Yeah sure." Isabel replies quickly. There is silence for a moment. "Is this about Kyle harassing Tess now?"  
"How did you know about that?" Max asks sharply.  
"Michael just told me." Isabel replies with a chuckle.  
"Isabel, that's impossible." Max says. "Michael is sitting right next to me."  
"What?" Isabel exclaims, whipping around and nearly dropping the phone. Michael is gone. She runs over to the kitchen door, which has been left open. She quickly scans the yard and street, but there is no one in sight except for Jack Freeburg, their next door neighbor. He gives a wave which Isabel hesitantly returns before going back inside. She walks back into the kitchen. She stops in the doorway and stares at the kitchen counter, dumbstruck.  
"Isabel? Are you okay!" Max's voice comes over the phone again. Isabel raises the phone to her face, hands trembling.  
"Max, forget meeting at Tess's house. Get her and Michael and come home now!" Isabel says into the phone and hangs up.  
Emblazoned on the kitchen counter in bright red is 'Watch for the signs Isabel.' Right below that is one of the symbols from the cave. The one with the four squares that are connected with an X. in place of the squares are individual candid photos of Max, Michael, Tess and herself.  
Isabel drops the phone.

TO BE CONTINUED……


	10. First Signs

Four Square from the Start  
Chapter 5A: First Signs

A/N: I'm not really good with the relationship scenes, so just make em up in your head, sorry. I'll get into it eventually, but for now I'm still establishing the characters.

Quote of the Day:  
Ginger: I said I'd die for you!  
Bridgette: No, you said you'd die with me, cause you had nothing better to do.   
Ginger Snaps

Stokely: Isn't this the part where someone says 'let's get the fuck out of here?"  
Stan: Let's get the fuck out of here.  
The Faculty

Topolsky's Apartment  
Kathleen walks into the apartment and places her bag on the kitchen table. She walks into the living room and stops in her tracks. Jim Valenti is sitting on the couch, holding several files in his hands.  
"Evening, Ms. Topolsky." Jim says jovially.  
"Sheriff. May I ask what you're doing?" Topolsky inquires.  
"Last time we spoke, you told me that you might have some information that I might want so I thought I'd take a look." Jim replies, holding up the files. "I've been investigating Max Evans and what he did to Elizabeth Parker at the Crashdown the day of the shooting, but boy. I never would have guessed that five of their school mates were in on an 'alien' conspiracy. Isabel Evans aside, why are you watching Tess Harding, Michael Guerin, Maria Deluca and Alex Whitman?"  
"They're involved." Topolsky says simply.  
"They're a bunch of high school sophomores!" Jim roars angrily. "We don't have a deal, now get out of my town. I've already alerted your boss, Agent Stevens. He's expecting you back in DC tomorrow afternoon at latest."  
"If you think you just helped Mr. Evans and his friends, you're dead wrong." Topolsky says, regret weighing her tone. "I was on your side. I just hope that Max or any of the others don't end up in the wrong hands because I'm not here."  
"Goodbye Ms. Topolsky." Jim nods to her and gets up for the door. He gives her one final nod, then walks out of the apartment.

West Roswell High School- One Month Later  
English Class  
"As you all know, this weekend is the annual father camping weekend. Permission sheets are on my desk for anyone who wants to go." The English teacher says. The bell rings and Tess, Liz, and Isabel get up and leave together.  
"So are either of you guys going on the camping trip?" Liz asks, and both of the alien girls look at her incredulously.  
"You're kidding, right?" Tess asks, chuckling.  
"No, My dad is dragging me to it and I was kinduv hoping that I wouldn't be alone in it." Liz says faking a depressed voice.  
"Wild animals couldn't drag me on that trip." Tess says smartly, and Isabel nods.  
"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to agree with Tess on that one, I'm not a big outdoors person." Isabel says.

Frasier Woods  
Rocky Hunt was hiking down a wooded path. He stops at an intersection of pathways and takes a swig out of a water bottle. He goes to start walking again, but stops at the sight of a blinding light. He holds his arm up to shield his eyes. In the confusion, a man from which the light originated from walks over and places his hand on Rocky's chest. Rocky spasms and his chest begins to smoke. After a moment, the man lets Rocky slip to the ground, unconscious.

Crashdown Café  
Liz and Maria are waiting on tables when Milton Ross bursts into the diner. Liz, Maria and Jeff Parker look over as he goes over to several patrons.  
"Where are Max Evans and Tess Harding!" Milton asks abruptly. Nobody answers him, so he heads for Liz. "You! You're Max's girlfriend."  
"She is?" Jeff asks, bewildered.  
"Yes, ded, I am." Liz says quickly. "I'm not sure where Max or Tess are. What is it?"  
"Just what we've been waiting for our entire lives." Milton says dramtically, leaning closer to Liz, Maria and Jeff. "There's been a sighting."

Evans' Household  
Max, Isabel, Phillip and Diane Evans are sitting around the table, eating dinner. Phillip gets up when the phone rings. He picks it up and holds it to his ear.  
"Evans residence." Phillip says clearly into the receiver. "Oh hello Mr. Ross. Yeah, he's right here."  
Phillip hands the phone to Max who takes it.  
"Hey Milton." Max greets, taking the phone and standing up. He walks out of the room as Miltyon talks. "What, whoa. Hold on and slow down for a moment. What are you saying?"  
"There as been a sighting in Frasier woods." Milton says hurridly.  
"How confirmed?" Max inquires dubiously.  
"A family of three, a couple of teenagers, a woods guide named Nick Cordera, and a hiker from Texas named Rocky Hunt." Milton says excitedly. "I think that we really have something here Max."  
Max is silent for a moment. "Okay boss, I'll call Tess and let her know. Thanks. See you tomorrow then." Max says and hangs up. He stands still for a moment. "Isabel!" He calls out finally and Isabel excuses herself from the dinner table.  
"What is it?" Isabel asks quietly.  
"We may have a lead on your mysterious visitor." Max says. "Milton Ross says that there was a sighting in Frasier Woods."  
"The fathers camping trip is there this weekend." Isabel says slowly.   
"We have to find out if there is anything out there and if there is we have to find it before Milton or anyone else does." Max says. "We need to call Tess and Michael, then come up with a plan of action." Isabel nods and Max dials Tess' number.

Harding House  
Tess is lying on the bed in her room. She looks over at the door as it opens and Eileen Harding enters.'  
"Hi mom." Tess greets warmly. "What's up?"  
"You have a phone call from Max. He said that it's urgent." Eileen says, handing Tess the phone. Tess takes it and Eileen leaves.   
"What's up Max?" Tess asks.  
"Cancel any weekend plans, we have to go on the father's camping trip this weekend." Max says quickly.  
"Why would I want to do that?" Tess asks.  
"Because of the sighting this morning." Max says.  
"What sighting?" Tess demands, sitting up quickly.  
"There was a sighting by multiple persons in Frasier Woods according to Milton."  
"So what are we going to do?" Tess asks.  
"We're gonna use the father camping week as a cover." Max says.  
"Oh." Tess says, glaring at the phone. "Wonderful. A weekend of hell." 

TO BE CONTINUED……


	11. Onto the Bus

Four Square From The Start

Chapter 5B: Into The Woods

A/N: Sorry that this is such a short chapter, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things after my two month hiatus. The next one will be longer.

Quote of the Day:

Rocco: I killed your cat, you druggie bitch.  
Donna: What? Why?  
Rocco: I thought it would bring closure to our relationship.

Boondock Saints

Roswell High School- Friday, December 5th, 2000

The buses are all ready and waiting for the students and parents going camping to get on as Tess and David Harding pull up in the Harding's little chevette. Tess gets out and looks at the bus, letting out a sigh as she stares at her fate for the next couple of days.

"I cannot believe that I'm doing this." Tess complains to herself. Her look brightens slightly when she sees Isabel walking over.

"Hey." Isabel greets, not looking too thrilled about the prospect of spending the next 48 hours out in the woods either.

"Morning." Tess replies with a like wise tone of voice.

David looks over at the two girls. "Oh come on, it's gonna be fun." He says, hoping to raise their spirits but they just shrug. Jeff Parker's car pulls up next to where Tess and Isabel were standing as the two alien girls walk away going off to find Max.

Liz and Maria get out of Jeff's car and start collecting their stuff.

"I can't believe that you bribed me to go on this stupid trip with you." Maria complains.

"Sixty-seven dollars should be enough to keep you quiet. Come on Maria, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Maria grouses as she hauls her bag out of the truck of the car.

Alex is standing a few yards away as his dad pulls into the parking lot. He waits until his dad opens the car door and then greets him.

"Hey dad, I'm so glad that you could make it at the last minute like this." Alex says.

"Are you sure you really want to do this?" Mr. Whitman asks, offhandedly, obviously not to keen on making the trip either.

"Yeah dad, I'm sure." Alex replies quickly, glancing over at Isabel, who catches the look and gives a small smile.

Isabel turns and faces Max and Tess. She shifts uncomfortably, biting her lip.

"Uh, guys. There's something I need to tell you before we go on this trip." Isabel says hesitantly. Max and Tess turn to look at her.

"What is it?" Max asks.

"I think that the sighting was Nasedo." Isabel says so that only Max and Tess can hear.

"What makes you say that?" Tess asks, slightly perturbed.

"Last month, someone disguised as Michael came into my house and left a symbol that was like an X with a picture of each one of us at the ends of each line. He did it when I was on the phone with Max, and when I found out that the real Michael was with Max, I turned and he was gone." Isabel explains. "Above the symbol he wrote 'Watch for the signs. I freaked out and used my powers to erase the message. Nasedo's here and he's trying to make contact with us."

Tess is silent for a moment before blurting.

"Why'd you wait a month to tell us this?"

"I was scared." Isabel replies.

"Well, we can sort it out when we get there. The bus is about to leave." Max says.

The two alien girls nod and then the three of them grab their stuff and head for the bus. After they have walked away, Kyle Valenti walks out from where he was standing out of sight behind the van parked next to Max's jeep. He has heard everything


	12. Into The Woods

Four Square from The Start  
Part 5C: Into the Woods pt2

A/N: No quote this time, but I would like to give a very special thanks to Misha for the new banner.  
A/N 2: See as how she was not raised by Nasedo, but by David and Eileen Harding, Tess also has a younger sister named Tamara, who will be appearing in the story soon.

Jervis Park  
Michael comes storming out of the trailer, fresh off from the most recent fight with Hank. He is carrying a gallon of milk and looks furious as he heads for the picnic table in what could be considered the front yard. He is about to sit down, but stops at the sight of Riverdog. The two of them lock eyes for a few moments, then Riverdog turns and starts to walk away. Michael quickly discards the milk carton onto the table and hurries after the departing native American.  
"Wait!" Michael call out, causing Riverdog to stop in his tracks. Michael jogs up to the elder man. What are you doing here?"  
"Did you see it?" Riverdog asks urgently.  
Michael looks confused. "See what, what are you-" he pauses. "The sighting in Frasier Woods. It was real, wasn't it?"  
"It was him." Riverdog reveals. "Nasedo has come back to Roswell." 

Frasier Woods – Parking Lot  
The caravan of school buses come to a halt, and the students and their fathers start to get off of the buses. Tess, Isabel and Max get off of one of the buses, David Harding, Tess' younger sister Tamara, and Phillip Parker following. A few moments later, Kyle and Jim Valenti get off as well. Jim goes to help get the stuff off of the bus. Kyle hesitates for a moment, glancing off at Max, Isabel and Tess, who he recently discovered the secret of. He looks unsure as to what to do. He is contemplating telling his dad that he knows but also weighing Tess' words to him a month and he visibly shudder at the thought at what the petite blonde he previously thought harmless could do to him. After a moment he shakes his head and goes to help his dad with their stuff. He doesn't say anything about what he knows.

Frasier Woods – Campsite  
Max and Isabel are working on setting up the tent that they would be staying in for the weekend. Tess and her sister are nearby, but neither are having much luck with getting it put up. Max glances over at Tess who is just barely restraining herself from using her powers to get the job done. He starts to walk over to help, but Kyle beats him to the punch. Max stops as Kyle grabs the main pole and ties the top of the tent canvas to it so that it is fully erect. Max turns and heads away as Tess looks at Kyle in surprise at the unexpected help.   
"Uh, thanks I guess." Tess says after a few quiet moments. "Not to sound ungrateful, but why the help? I thought you weren't doing me any more favors."  
Kyle glanced over at where Max and Isabel were finishing setting up their campsite, then making sure that Tamara is out of hearing view, he leans in and puts his mouth close to her ear.  
"I know what you are." Kyle whispers, and Tess' eyes go wide. She starts to back off, but Kyle stops her. "Relax, I haven't told my dad or anyone else."  
Tess looks at him through frightened eyes. "What do you want Kyle?" She asks, lip quivering slightly and casting a terrified look at him.   
"I didn't come here to threaten you or expose you, and I don't want anything. I just want to know the truth." Kyle says.  
Tess glances at her younger sister, then at Max and Isabel, who are now talking to Liz and Alex.  
"Okay, I'll tell you everything, as long as you swear not to tell anyone, ever.' Tess says after a moment.  
"I swear that I will not tell anyone Tess." Kyle says.  
"We should probably go somewhere private to talk about it." Tess says and leads Kyle away to tell him her story.

TO BE COINTINUED…..


End file.
